Nutley Prepares For Flood Mitigation Project At The ‘Mud Hole’

NUTLEY, NJ — Upcoming work at the “Mud Hole” in Nutley will help to protect the area from flooding when storms hit, town officials announced Wednesday.

A mitigation project is scheduled to begin on Monday, Nov. 4 at Memorial Park (the Mud Hole). The effort is being undertaken in response to the damage caused by Tropical Storm Ida in 2021.

Nutley town officials provided the following background information about the project:

“On September 1, 2021, the Township of Nutley experienced significant damage from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida, particularly affecting its park system following severe flooding. Shortly after, a collaborative project was launched with FEMA to cover the costs associated with the damages to Nutley's parks. The project was classified as Category G, meaning that any proposed mitigation for resilience must occur within the park system and could not be allocated to other efforts, such as elevating or acquiring flood-prone homes. Mitigation efforts for the Mud Hole were proposed at $580,000, which were approved and will be reimbursed to the Township by FEMA. Repairs were successfully completed, and the Township submitted plans to FEMA for mitigation strategies.”

Commissioner Mauro Tucci, who serves as Nutley’s Parks and Recreation Department director, said the project will involve clearing debris and items that have accumulated in the Mud Hole during storms, creating additional capacity for stormwater storage.

“The goal of this project is to alleviate and prevent some of the flooding we experienced during Ida and increase retention space for flood waters during future storm events,” Tucci said.

Nutley officials continued:

“Implementing various mitigation strategies will facilitate stormwater runoff management, thereby reducing the volume of damaging floodwaters and protecting homes and infrastructure. The mitigation of the Mud Hole should be viewed as an initial step among many taken by the Township to enhance resilience for future flooding events.”

The Mud Hole will be closed for about six weeks while the project takes place, officials said.

“We ask everyone to be patient while we work to make our beloved park system the best it can be,” Tucci said.

“Unfortunately, there is no single solution to flooding in a municipality,” Tucci added. “However, this project will go a long way toward better protecting the Mud Hole and the homes adjacent to it.”

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