Email from Mark Mauriello, Assistant Commissioner for Land Use Management at NJDEP and as DRBC Commissioner - RE: Bureaucrats spitting on us!

From: Mark Mauriello <Mark.Mauriello@dep.state.nj.us>
Date: Mar 5, 2008 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Bureaucrats spitting on us!

To whom it may concern:

I have been blind copied on a number of emails over the past day related to this topic and am unsure of who the email audience is, but I feel compelled to weigh in here. In my capacity as Assistant Commissioner for Land Use Management at NJDEP and as DRBC Commissioner, I would like apologize for any inadvertent insensitivity expressed by staff and wish to provide additional thoughts on this matter.

Please realize that the NJDEP recognizes the extreme hardship that flood victims experience and the trauma of living through significant flood events that you have experienced over the past two years. The Department has responded to these flood events by providing flood mitigation technical assistance to property owners, waiving fees for permit applications to elevating dwellings, working with State Police Emergency Management officials and municipalities to develop hazard plans that will increase eligibility for monetary flood assistance, and other efforts. In addition, DEP adopted stringent floodplain management rules in November 2007 to increase protection of floodplains and riparian buffers in an effort to maintain flood storage capacity in these areas, and to strengthen design standards for development to address increasing flood heights and associated flood hazards.

Notwithstanding these efforts, we also recognize that there is more work to be done in the area of flood hazard mitigation, much of which is being done as a coordinated effort with DRBC, basin states, the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey and other partners. In terms of reservoir operation concerns, DRBC is actively working on a flood model to evaluate the reservoir operations and flow management plans to determine what operational changes could be considered to mitigate flood damages downstream of the upper basin reservoirs, while still addressing water supply concerns and ecological flow goals. Given the uncertainties related to reservoir operations and specifically defining the scope of changes that might help mitigate flood hazards on the river, is critical that DRBC develop the best technical information to recommend and support any operational changes, based on sound science and consensus among the technical groups involved in this work. Be assured that the NJDEP, representing NJ residents in the basin, is fully committed to exploring any and all options to mitigate flood hazards, including consideration of operational changes to the upper basin reservoirs.

DRBC Deputy Executive Director Bob Tudor can provide the latest information on status of the flood mitigation efforts and associated technical work currently underway to better define the scope of operational changes and other water management techniques that can be considered. I have copied Bob on this email so he is aware of your continuing concerns.
az
Sincerely,
Mark N. Mauriello
Assistant Commissioner, NJDEP