Additional help sought for watershed projects
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - A request has been made to Congressman Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and to Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) asking them to continue doing their best to ensure that Marlboro receives sufficient funds out of the $15 million for watershed restoration that was recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives approved the $15 million Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) on Aug. 1.

A watershed is defined as the cumulative land area that contributes surface water drainage to a single point or water body, according to information provided to Marlboro by Potomac-Hudson Environmental Inc. and Birdsall Engineering.

In a letter sent to both congressmen last week, Democratic mayoral candidate Jonathan Hornik applauded Holt and Pallone for the steps they took to make certain that Marlboro was included in the final report.

In his letter, Hornik discussed how what he referred to as a decade of corruption in Marlboro has led to the watershed issues as a result of continuing development in the municipality.

"Deals with developers permitted developments to be built with inadequate detention basins and storm water runoff. These ill-conceived developments disrupted the normal underground aquifers that are natural to our environment," Hornik wrote.

These issues were discussed at the Marlboro Multi-Watershed Restoration/ Protection Project Summit on April 24. The problems listed at the summit were said to have been caused by poorly planned developments.

These developments have led to alterations in the natural landscape, stream flow blockages, severe stream bank erosion, substantial sediment accumulation and flooded homes, according to the PowerPoint that was provided at the summit.

"The WRDA is a good start, but for a town like Marlboro that has been devastated by corrupt dealings over the last decade, it is only a start. Based on the severity of its watershed problems, it is critical that Marlboro receive a large allocated portion of the $15 million authorized funding to be used to improve Marlboro's watershed problems. Only with these funds will Marlboro begin to address its flooding issues," Hornik wrote.

Hornik closed his letter by asking Holt and Pallone to continue their efforts to make sure Marlboro is granted a sufficient amount of the money so years of erosion and flooding that residents have endured may be fixed.

The watershed summit that was held in April was the first of its kind in the nation, according to Republican Mayor Robert Kleinberg, who is being challenged by Hornik in the November election.

Kleinberg expressed his thanks to Holt and his staff for their help with the project. He described how over the last three years Holt's office has offered assistance to Marlboro.

Andrew Souvall, communications director for Pallone, said the bill is an indication that Congress backs this important issue.

He also said that since Congress now has the authorization to do so, it will be easier to provide the funds to the areas in the future.

If all goes according to plan, the money will be distributed to the Army Corps of Engineers sometime in September or October, according to Kleinberg.