Essex-Hudson Greenway Could Battle Stormwater Woes, Advocates Say

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — If a proposed “greenway” ends up being built in Essex and Hudson counties, it would be more than just a pretty stroll. It would also help solve severe stormwater overflow issues that have long plagued the area, advocates say.

Support for the Essex-Hudson Greenway Project – a proposed hiking and biking trail in the two counties – has been resurging in North Jersey over the past few months.

If it comes to fruition, the project would convert 8.6 miles of unused railroad tracks on the old Boonton Line into a 100-foot-wide biking/hiking path that crosses through eight towns: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny, Secaucus and Jersey City.

• See related article: Plan To Build Hike, Bike Path Through 8 NJ Towns Picks Up Steam

Some supporters of the greenway have pointed to its potential benefits for local hikers, bicyclists and other nature enthusiasts. But according to the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), the project would also help solve the infrastructure challenges that regularly lead to “raw sewage infiltrating local streets and contaminating area homes and waterways” in the area.

“The opportunity to introduce green infrastructure solutions into the greenway project is a game-changer for local communities,” ANJEC Executive Director Jennifer Coffey said. “The combined health and safety benefits – along with the savings to taxpayers – are enormous.”

According to the ANJEC:

“Over the past decades, communities throughout New Jersey have had to deal with stormwater overflow events that occur when heavy rains overwhelm existing infrastructure systems, resulting in sewage backing up into streets, homes, and area rivers. Throughout New Jersey, an average of 23 billion gallons of raw sewage are being released every year resulting in growing public health concerns and steep fines for localities. The greenway project offers the opportunity to incorporate stormwater management facilities into the design and construction of the greenway. Without any impact to the line’s use as a park and multi-modal transportation corridor numerous green infrastructure components can be incorporated into the project to helps stormwater seep into the ground – including raingardens, bioswales, and high-tech cisterns.”

The nonprofit continued:

“All communities along the greenway are serviced by the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, and existing infrastructure in the adjacent municipalities includes numerous combined sewer overflows which allow for the discharge of raw sewage into the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers during heavy precipitation events. Including new stormwater management practices, with the installation of state-of-the-art green infrastructure in the construction of the greenway, can help to alleviate existing issues with combined sewer overflows.”

“Much of the enthusiasm surrounding the proposed greenway is drawn from the potential for improved access to nature and expanded opportunities for recreation,” said Debra Kagan of the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition.

“But benefits such as greener options and the potential to integrate green infrastructure are critical to the long-term health of our residents and communities,” Kagan added.

In July 2020, the Open Space Institute (OSI) reached a preliminary purchase and sale agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway Company for property in Essex and Hudson counties for the purpose of the greenway. The purchase agreement has a sale deadline of January 2022.

For more than a year, the OSI has been working with the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition and the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance to advocate for the creation of the greenway, working with local, county and state officials such as Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.

“The Essex-Hudson Greenway will not only directly improve the daily lives of people throughout our northern New Jersey communities, it also has the potential to make this region significantly greener,” Gill said.

“With smart and creative planning, this project will serve as a national blueprint for integrating recreational opportunities, green infrastructure, new transportation choices and expanded access to broadband in our suburban and urban neighborhoods,” Gill enthused. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we must get it done.”

• See related article: Bike, Hike From Montclair To Jersey City? Plan Leaps Forward

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