The Hoboken Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan Resolves Challenges With Stormwater Management and Flood Control Strategies

Just in time for Earth Day, the city of Hoboken just released the final report for its Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan as a response to ongoing climate change and an increase in severe weather storms, most notably Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.

North Jersey has been spearheading the development of the final plan with a team led by EE&K a Perkins Eastman Company, the Louis Berger Group and Clarke Caton Hintz since the spring of 2013.

The plan has a set of recommendations to resolve flooding throughout the city due to excessive rainfall. On average, the Hoboken Waste Water Treatment Plant is overwhelmed by storm flows five times a month, but the city is hoping this will decrease to just four times per year with the new strategies, which include constructed wetlands, rooftop rainwater harvesting and adding permeable greenery on city streets.

In the announcement to go green on Facebook, Mayor Dawn Zimmer said, “The Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan supports keys components of our comprehensive urban water management strategy titled ‘Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge’ to fully protect Hoboken from flooding. Through green infrastructure, we can employ the ‘delay’ and ‘store’ parts of the strategy which will help to minimize flooding by preventing stormwater from overwhelming our sewer system.”

In an image outlining the plan, the city has been divided into gray, green and blue zones. Each area has specific issues that will be addressed through the new strategies. This plan will not only provide a cost-effective and sustainable solution to dealing with stormwater management, but it can also be replicated in other areas of the state facing similar problems.

To read the full report, click here.