Officials Give Update On West 17th Street Flood Mitigation Project

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The city held a meeting Saturday to update residents on the status of the flood mitigation project in the West 17th Street neighborhood.

Both tidal and rain events contribute to flooding in the low-lying neighborhood, according to Joe Danyo, chief engineer for Michael Baker International.

The area is currently drained by the existing storm sewer system that is under capacity and allows groundwater infiltration. Water also infiltrates through bulkheads and existing roadway grades.

To alleviate these issues, the mitigation project includes adding a pumping station to clear flooding from the neighborhood in a few hours, which officials say will be much less than the time it now takes for the streets to drain.

Road construction, drainage improvements and a new outfall pipe to flush water into the bay are also included in the nearly $1.5 million project.

Construction is expected to begin as early as February, with most of the project completed by Memorial Day weekend, according to Danyo.

A $3 million project updating New Jersey American Water’s sewer system on West 17th Street will also be underway in the spring.

Construction is expected to begin next spring and be complete by the end of 2022, according to Adam Kane, a senior project engineer for the company.

The city and New Jersey American Water will coordinate their projects to reduce construction disruptions in the neighborhood.

The full meeting can be viewed on YouTube:

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