Floodwaters Still Plague Long Hill After Irene

NOTE: The scenes in the video from last Sunday's flooding following Hurricane (the Tropical Storm) Irene show that some of the worst flooding in our immediate area was in neighboring Long Hill Township, prone to flooding along the Passaic River.

With major flooding again hitting Long Hill Township following last weekend's storm, Long Hill's police department again has moved its operations from its low-lying headquarters to the municipal complex at 915 Valley Road in the Gillette section of Long Hill. The phone number there is 908-647-1800. The police department had moved into offices in the municipal building during high waters in previous storms.

The following is taken from the Long Hill Township website.

The website also includes a list of road closures and roads recently opened.

"For general questions during regular business hours related to Hurricane Irene including:  power outages, road flooding and closures, and emergency sewer problems, please call Town Hall at 908-647-8000 x223 or x210. If you have a non-emergency question, please call police dispatch at 647-1800. If you have an emergency, call 911.

FLOODING:

• We are experiencing major flooding in town. The river is expected to crest at 10.25 ft.
• For reference, flood state is 8 ft, the March 2010 flood was at 9.38 ft, and the 1996 flood was at 9.8 ft.

SEWERS:

• Due to the high water on Morristown Road, we have experienced a pump failure at the Morristown Road Pump Station.  Unfortunately, this means that any water going into the sewer system will NOT get to the treatment plant and will remain in the main line.  This will cause the unprocessed sewage to back up through the line and into your house. 
• The effected areas are:
•  if you are east of Stirling Lake AND have public sewer
• if you are east of Pleasant Plains Rd AND have public sewer 
• (Please note:  if you are in an affected area, you would have also received an automatic message on your main phone line.)    

In order to keep the amount of waste water to a minimum, it is critical you:

•  
  • • Only flush as necessary, not after every use.  Discretion should be your guide.
    • When bathing, take a shower and turn off the water as much as possible while doing so.
    • Don't use your dishwasher - if you must use it, make sure the unit is full, don't use the rinse cycle between full loads.
    • Try not to wash clothes until the situation has been corrected.
  • At this time, we cannot predict when the repairs might be made — the water on Morristown Road must be low enough to send in work crews with large equipment — we don't anticipate that occurring until Wednesday at the soonest.  We are working to repair the damage and get the pump station back in service as quickly as possible."

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