$438K Stream Cleaning Project In Ridgewood Awarded

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A portion of Saddle River and tributary Ho-Ho-Kus Brook in Ridgewood will be desnagged and desilted for the third time in the past 15 years, Director of Public Works and Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser said.

At the village council meeting last week, council members voted to approve the maintenance contract award in an amount not to exceed $438,170 to DTS Trucking in Hawthorne.

DTS was the lowest responsible bidder for the work, which will remove accumulated material in specific locations (sandbars) and trees that are impeding flow, and will stabilize stream banks, where needed, Rutishauser said in a statement.

"The intent," he said, "is to maintain the water body's flow."

Ridgewood's bid was computed on the basis of plans and specifications prepared by the Department of Public Work's Engineering Division, Village Manager Heather Mailander said at the meeting. These were also approved by the council.

The village's chief financial officer has certified that sufficient funds are available for this work, Mailander said. A $263,000 grant was also provided to complete the project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.