Mayor Zimmer: Hoboken Needs More Wet Weather Pumps

Adding three more wet weather pumps to the city of Hoboken is an "emergency," said Mayor Dawn Zimmer on Wednesday afternoon.

Her comments came after severe flooding on the western side of town on Wednesday morning, following an intense rainstorm that hit at high tide. 

The flooding did go down within the hour, Zimmer said, but several streets had to be blocked off during rush hour, causing multiple delays.

While the one wet weather pump the city currently has was working, the mayor said, it simply wasn't enough to handle all the water.

Three pumps have been designed and the locations have been determined, Zimmer said. "They're shovel ready."

Earlier this year, Zimmer endorsed a grant application by the North Hudson Sewerage Authority to help build the pumps in Hoboken.

"We need the pumps," Zimmer said. "My position is that it's an emergency."

The three additional pumps — which would pump the water from the flood prone areas in Hoboken — would be placed at 5th, 11th and 15th streets on the east side of town.