Message from Councilwoman Elizabeth Stamler | October 24, 2025
More than 75 residents turned out for a special meeting on Oct. 15 at town hall to discuss flooding concerns. Local, county and federal representatives joined township officials for an in-depth discussion as we collectively try to tackle one of the region’s most persistent challenges.
I would like to express my appreciation to Bill Picard, Scotch Plains’ representative on the Green Brook Flood Control Commission (GBFCC). Bill, along with the Township Council, is fully committed to identifying solutions that are realistic, affordable and can be implemented in the short-term, as we work with our state and federal partners on a long-term, permanent solution.
Bill explained that there are two main reasons why Scotch Plains floods. There is pluvial flooding, which occurs when heavy rain overwhelms the drainage systems, and fluvial flooding, which occurs when nearby brooks or rivers overflow their banks.
He also reminded attendees that flooding is not a new issue in town. Bill found the first documented effort to control flooding in Scotch Plains in a local newspaper dating back to August 14, 1890. “Route 22 has flooded badly enough to have been shut down over 50 times since 1889,” he said.
Bill also noted that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began studying the region’s flooding problem in 1955, but over the past 70 years, he said, “home rule infighting, shifting political priorities, and clawbacks of federal funding” have prevented a lasting solution.
While flooding has occurred as long as records have been kept, I believe the storms we face today are of a different magnitude. They strike more frequently and with more ferocity, temporarily overwhelming our infrastructure and causing flooding in our streets and homes at a consistent rate.
The Oct. 15 public meeting is a strong first step in the latest efforts to control flooding, as our community shared ideas, updates and some frustrations over the three hours. It is my hope that the residents who attended the Oct. 15 town hall, as well as many others, will attend GBFCC meetings in the upcoming months to advocate on behalf of Scotch Plains.
We also need to keep the pressure on the Army Corps, as well as our state and federal representatives who control the purse strings and direct the priorities of government spending. All seem to agree there needs to be a focus on the upper basin of the Green Brook, where structural enhancements could control the amount of rain that pours down the mountain into Scotch Plains.
Water knows no boundaries; flooding in one community affects many others. That is why Scotch Plains will be partnering with Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Long Hill, Summit, Chatham, and Plainfield on a “Resilient NJ” grant application to be filed with the state Department of Environmental Protection. The money would be used to fund technical assistance and data-driven tools to support future flood mitigation.
Scotch Plains will also be developing a community forum to address flooding and keep this important conversation going. More priorities can be identified, information shared, and both short- and long-term mitigation strategies explored as we work together, collaboratively, to address these regional concerns.
