Politics & Government

Montville Flood Initiative Not Favored by Butler Borough

Butler decides not to join in plan that would have reservoirs lower water levels during hurricane seasons.

While Montville Township officials feel they may be making progress toward flood mitigation with an initiative they have been working on to lower reservoir water levels during hurricane seasons, not all municipalities they have asked to join forces wih feel the same.

Butler Borough Council members discussed the initiative and decided not to team up with Montville at Tuesday night's council meeting. The initiative involves allowing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to issue orders to the Jersey City Reservoir and Boonton Dam during hurricane seasons asking them to lower the water storage levels. 

Butler officials were not keen on having the NJDEP regulate the water levels at the reservoir.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I don't think we should be controlled by them to tell us what to do. I think we should keep the control here," Butler Mayor Robert Alviene said Tuesday.

Montville Township Committeeman Scott Gallopo, who sits on a flood mitigation committee in the township, has said that operating the reservoirs at a high capacity during hurricane seasons may contribute to excess water and flooding. He believes this was the case during the tropical storm that followed Hurricane Irene, when neighborhoods in Pine Brook, near Hatfield Creek and in the Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany, saw severe flooding.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Perhaps United Water should be running that reservoir at, let's say, 75 percent or 80 percent capacity during hurricane season," Gallopo said in August.

In order to move ahead with the initiative, Gallopo has told his own committee members that more support garnered from the municipalities would make a better case for legislators to bring the issue up on the state level.

The Butler Council began discussing the initiative and whether to join in at the Sept. 18 meeting, but council members wanted more time to consider what it meant to adopt an ordinance in agreement with the plan. One of the concerns of Butler Borough Administrator James Lampmann was that if the water level is lowered and rain does not occur, a shortage could be created for customers.

This remained a concern for council members Tuesday as they decided not to adopt an ordinance that coincides with Montville's plan.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here