Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and State Senator Joe Pennacchio Join Local Mayors to Discuss Whippany River Watershed

HANOVER TOWNSHIP, NJ - Local Mayors from East Hanover, Morris Township, Florham Park and Parsippany joined Hanover Township Mayor Thomas 'Ace' Gallagher at a working lunch meeting on July 17th to further strategize their efforts to stop the repeated flooding that occurs in the Whippany River watershed every time there is a heavy rain.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherill joined the group, presenting a check for $500,000 which will be used to start targeted removal of trees and other snag hazards from the Whippany River watershed. The towns have already used grant money (from previous awards) to hire Colliers Engineering to survey the river with high-tech sensors, including a helicopter that did site surveys.

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The goal is to "get the water flowing" again....so that it doesn't pool up and flood every time it rains.

The towns that were represented by mayors at the meeting were East Hanover, Hanover Township, Morris Township, Florham Park, and Parsippany. Flooding has been a major source of irritation for the residents of these towns. Also present was State Senator Joe Pennacchio and a representative from State Senator Anthony Bucco's office.

There are six key high priority areas initially targeted along the river that need attention. Removal of river debris (primarily downed trees) will be starting "by the end of this year." The engineering firm said it will be much easier to accomplish during the winter than in the summer as the hard ground is easier to work with.  After those six areas are completed, there are up to ninety additional areas that would benefit from debris removal, according to Colliers.

The coalition says it's easier to work with federal regulators from US Dept of Agriculture for approval than it is to do anything with the NJ state DEP. Both East Hanover's Mayor Joe Pannullo and Senator Pennacchio were extremely vocal about how impossible it is to deal with the state DEP...saying they prohibit any commonsense action.

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