Drinking Water In Ocean City Is At Risk From Flooding, New Study Says

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Clean, safe drinking water in Ocean City is at risk from dangerous flooding, according to a new analysis from the non-profit organization Food & Water Watch.

According to their study, both Ocean City and Wildwood are in the top 15 nationwide for flood risk to drinking water. The findings show that more than 80–90 percent of both systems’ service areas fall within FEMA-designated flood zones, putting tens of thousands of local residents at risk of losing access to safe drinking water.

The group used water system data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and flood hazard area data from FEMA for their analysis.

Food & Water Watch said that destructive floods fueled by climate change could damage safe drinking water.

“Floods can contaminate water supplies with human and livestock waste along with many pathogens
and lab-made toxic chemicals, and they can also damage water infrastructure and cut communities
off from safe drinking water,” the report reads. “Flood waters can be deadly, and can overwhelm utility systems, knocking critical equipment, treatment facilities, and pumps offline, leading to water outages and boil advisories.”

The group called for climate resilience and accountability policies in wake of this analysis.

“This analysis shows that climate chaos is a direct threat to South Jersey families. Ocean City and Wildwood are at the very top of the national danger list — and that means real people here could lose safe drinking water as flooding worsens,” said Matt Smith, New Jersey State Director at Food & Water Watch. “Instead of cutting critical funding, Congress should be investing in resilient systems. And here in New Jersey, state legislators have the chance to do what Washington won’t. The proposed New Jersey Climate Superfund Act is exactly the kind of bold state policy we need to protect our communities.”