For Mayor Paul Conda and the Cinnaminson Township Committee, flooding in the township is something taken very seriously.
“It had been neglected for many years before this committee took over,” Conda said during a Jan. 22 committee meeting. “We have rebuilt a lot of East Riverton Road and put a lot of stormwater management underground.”
The mayor addressed a community member at the meeting who asked about the township’s plan for flood management, especially after the heavy rainstorm on Jan. 9 and 10 that wreaked havoc not only in Cinnaminson, but neighboring Delran and Palmyra, too.
“It was insane,” Conda recalled of the storm. “The (Delaware) river (water) breached the river bend … Not sure what we can do about that.”
During the storm, the Delaware River rose to 11.9 feet, a record high and above the major flood stage of 11.3 inches. That also affected its tributaries, as the Pennsauken Creek breached its banks and flooded multiple homes in the Extension section of Cinnaminson and the Rancocas Creek swamped low-lying areas in Delran, Delanco and Riverside. The Delaware also flooded the East Riverton section of Cinnaminson.
Areas of Burlington County impacted by flooding or other storm damages included parts of Delran, Cinnaminson, Beverly, Bordentown City, Burlington City, Delanco, Mount Holly, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside, Willingboro and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Burlington County spokesperson David Levinsky said.
Conda noted that township officials have “taken a lot of time and energy” addressing flooding issues in the township. They have been devoted to rebuilding roads and rerouting stormwater underground. The development of Box Park Logistics Center on Taylor’s Lane was required to include a stormwater management component.
“The (developer) took $5 to $6 million of their money to build stormwater management all underground to make sure all the water seeps out to the river,” the mayor explained.
Conda said officials are continuing to look at options for the East Riverton and Parry sections, including possible rebuilding of roads to make sure runoff drains properly.
“There are state programs that have money available to homeowners to (help make improvements to reduce flooding issues),” he pointed out.
With that said, Conda emphasized that township officials want residents to know they take flooding issues seriously.
“We have addressed the (issue) (the) best we can over the past couple of years,” he elaborated, “and we are looking at other ways to address as we are going forward.”
