Open the gates! NJ mayors say the state is letting their towns flood

💧Wayne Mayor Chris Vergano asked for a floodgate to be opened ahead of the rain

💧DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said it won't work

💧The mayors want to meet with LaTourette to explain the impact of flooding

Several North Jersey mayors are upset that Department of Environmental Protection rejected their request to open the Pompton Lake floodgate ahead of Tuesday's rainstorm.

Wayne Mayor Chris Vergano wrote on his Facebook page that given the forecast of at least 3 inches of rain on top of Saturday's snow, he texted the request to Gov. Phil Murphy Sunday on behalf of Mayor Rumfeldt of Lincoln Park and Mayor Serra of Pompton Lakes. He also asked for help from state Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic.

Much of the area was flooded following heavy rain on Dec. 18 with a repeat almost certain after Tuesday and Wednesday's rain. Combined with snow melt, the still-swollen Ramapo River is expected to crest at 13 feet, which is 2 feet above flood stage, on Wednesday morning. Downstream, the Pompton River is forecast to crest at 19.5 feet Wednesday night

DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette rejected their request to open the Pompton Lake floodgate ahead of Tuesday's rainstorm.

"In general, volume reduction in New Jersey’s lakes in itself is not considered an effective preventative measure in reducing downstream flood risk," LaTourette responded in a letter.

"As in the case of Pompton Lake, the storage volume created by lowering the lake prior to an impending storm provides no downstream benefits. This is because the amount of perceived extra storage volume would only represent a negligible amount of the total volume of runoff from the 160-square mile Pompton Lake watershed."

LaTourette said that lowering the lake before a 2012 storm did not have any downstream flood reduction benefits. The gates are designed to open automatically when a certain water level is reached.

Bur Vergano told News 12 that by that time, it would be too late.

"The gates are going to open and it's going to be the roaring Mississippi going down. And then it's the water coming so swiftly that's going to hurt people. We're trying to help them," Vergano said. "The DEP has come back and said it gives people a false sense of security which is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

'Truly disappointed'

Vergano said he was “truly disappointed” at LaTourette's rejection of what he saw as a proactive mitigation of a "terrible situation" he expects to take place after the storm.

“A major storm is on its way. We are going to see extreme flooding and the state has refused to help our residents. No harm would have come to anyone with the early release of water. It would have only helped those living below the floodgates,” Vergano wrote on his Facebook page.

Runfeldt said the response shows that the Murphy administration is not aware of the impact of the decision.

"They would rather have a 'wait and see' attitude which likely means opening the dam at the peak of the storm. I will be in contact with the other mayors in the Passaic and Pompton River Basins during and after this storm in an effort to force the state to hear our concerns," Runfeldt wrote on his Facebook page.

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