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Homeowner says storm drain failure eroded Colfax Avenue property; borough says project included in capital plan
Summary
A Pompton Lakes homeowner told the council a storm drain pipe failure has been eroding his property for 15 years and asked the borough to pay full repair costs. Borough staff said the project is included in the capital plan and officials are negotiating with the homeowner.
George, a resident of 1104 Colfax Avenue, told the council during public comment that a storm drain pipe serving 1102–1104 Colfax Avenue has failed, causing washout and erosion of his property and said borough staff had inspected the pipe repeatedly without completing repairs.
“I alerted the borough that the storm drain pipe at 1102 Colfax Avenue running from the street to the lake has failed and is underwashing and eroding my property,” George said, describing a robot video he provided showing “breaks, separations, and significant washout” at the pipe connection.
George told the council he secured an engineering plan and a cost estimate and said he was told in November 2023 the borough would pay for repairs. He said the borough later presented “a set amount of dollars and requested that I fix the damage, not the borough,” and asked the council to revisit that offer.
In response, Michael (borough administrator) said the project is included in the borough’s capital plan and that the borough will present a bond ordinance at the next council meeting. “At next, next council meeting, we'll have a bond ordinance for annual capital plan. That project is included within the plan, and we're negotiating with the homeowner, to see if we can lower the cost of their restoration to get it all within budget. And we remain committed to doing everything we can for the homeowner,” Michael said.
No formal vote or binding settlement was recorded on April 9; council members and staff described ongoing negotiations and said staff would continue efforts to resolve the repair and cost questions. The council did not specify a dollar amount the borough will pay; George asked the borough to cover the full estimated cost.
The complaint highlights a long-running infrastructure issue and a property owner claim that borough inspections did not lead to timely remediation. The council indicated the drainage repair is included in the capital plan and will be addressed in an upcoming bond ordinance and through negotiations with the homeowner.
