County hears update on Arcadis-led Raritan Bay regional resilience action plan

Mary Kimball, project manager for Arcadis, updated the Middlesex County Planning Board on a regional resilience action plan aimed at coastal and riverfront communities from Carteret to Old Bridge and upriver along the Raritan and South rivers. The plan, produced as part of a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection program and supported by multiple federal grants and community partners, identifies hundreds of actions across policy, infrastructure and outreach to reduce flood and climate risk.

The consultants described a watershed-based approach that crosses municipal boundaries and favors a mix of policy, nature-based and infrastructure interventions. “The plan includes really hundreds of recommendations,” Mary Kimball said, noting the team worked with municipalities, the YMCA and local NGOs to develop a preferred hybrid scenario drawn from protect, restore and transition options.

Nikki Mitch, a resilience planner on the Arcadis team, said recommendations are grouped into three areas: policy and governance changes to align local rules with state guidance; physical and nature-based infrastructure such as green stormwater systems and larger coastal projects; and outreach, education and capacity building to help residents and local organizations act. The consultants cited examples including resilient redevelopment guidelines for Old Bridge’s Lawrence Harbor, stormwater management support for Perth Amboy and a South River ecosystem restoration project funded in part by NOAA grants.

Board members asked about funding and municipal capacity. Arcadis staff said they tracked federal and state funding opportunities and paired those with the plan’s prioritized projects; some grants allow reimbursement of administrative costs, including grant-writing, when the grant terms permit. The team also described producing a rain-garden maintenance manual for Woodbridge aimed at volunteers and municipal staff.

Arcadis said its formal contract and technical-assistance role to the municipalities continues through March 31, after which the county and municipalities will need to identify follow-on arrangements to sustain implementation and grant application support. The consultants said they will provide materials and discussed options for hosting mapping and case-study data on state, county or Arcadis-hosted platforms.

The board heard questions about underlying flood modeling and where to view detailed maps; Nikki Mitch pointed members to the New Jersey Flood Mapper website as a publicly accessible resource and described additional modeling used in the plan. Arcadis also noted coordination with the county’s MS4 user group and state programs such as Blue Acres and the National Flood Insurance Program.

The presentation will be followed by a fuller briefing to the board at a future meeting and additional outreach to municipalities, the consultants said.