State Receives $59M to Clear Debris from Waterways

More than $59 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding will be used to reimburse the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the use of contractors in clearing New Jersey waterways after Superstorm Sandy, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-6) announced Tuesday.

The $59,741,909 in funding will reimburse contractors to remove 850,000 cubic yards of sand and other sediment from the waterways in the central region of the state, a news release form Pallone's office said. The additional sand and sediment in the waterways as a result of the hurricane caused potential threats to navigation.

“Getting New Jersey back to pre-Sandy conditions remains my number one priority,” Pallone said in the release. “The state faced so many unanticipated costs after Sandy, and it is necessary that FEMA help cover the costs after such a statewide emergency.  New Jersey’s navigable waterways are used for commerce, travel, and leisure, and I’m pleased that this very sizable grant will help in removing threatening or impassable blocks.”  

This grant covers 90 percent of the entire project, which includes the removal of sand and sediment that may block the waterways and verification that the waterways are no longer threatened with debris, the news release said.

The debris pulled out of the waterways will be recycled or disposed of in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines, according to the release.