DESCRIPTION: The 935-square-mile area covered by the Passaic River Flood Warning System contains 132 communities within the States of New Jersey’s and New York’s counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Somerset, Union, and Rockland. This area contains a population of approximately 2.5 million people and over 20,000 homes and businesses. The Passaic River Flood Warning System consists of fifty-seven (57) stream level gages and precipitation gages. The gages transmit observational data via individual Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service’s (NESDIS) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system. The data are then retrieved by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and made available on the World Wide Web for the use of the National Weather Service (NWS) in their forecasting of riverine flood events, emergency managers, and the general public. Using the data collected, the US Geological Survey’s National Water Information System Web Interface (NWSIWeb), http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis, reports near real-time river level stage elevations, river water discharge volumes; and in some cases, collected precipitation data. These observations form the basis for the river forecasts provided by the NWS Mid-Atlantic River Forecast Centers. The NWS Weather Forecast Offices in Mount Holly, New Jersey and Upton, New York use these observations and river forecasts in their watch and warning responsibilities for flood and flash flood events. The NWS provides the observed and forecasted streamflow data as well as watch warning and advisory information on the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service webpage: http://water.weather.gov/ahps. In addition, the real-time data can be obtained from the US Geological Survey’s WaterAlert System, which is a subscription notification service that sends subscribers real-time data via email or text: http://water.usgs.gov/wateralert/index.html.
AUTHORIZATION: Section 101(a)(18) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990 (PL 101-640), as amended by Section 102(p)(1) Water Resources Development Act of 1992 (PL 102-580).
STATUS: Normal operations and maintenance efforts continue within a partnership between the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Geological Survey.
PROJECT COST: Estimated annual federal cost is $668,000.
CONTACT: Alexander F. Gregory, Project Manager, (917) 790-8427
alexander.f.gregory@usace.army.mil
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
Jacob J. Javits Federal Building
New York, New York 10278-0090
DISTRICTS: NJ-5, NJ-7, NJ-8, NJ-9, NJ-10, NJ-11