Nuisance Flooding Studies
Nuisance Flooding Event
HOBO Sensor Installation
Measured Nuisance Flooding Events
Measured Nuisance Flooding Events Locations
Researchers at the CRC will investigate the physical parameters that initiate nuisance
flooding in several towns in New Jersey. Nuisance flooding is defined as water intrusion below the typical level for notice
by major media or the US Weather service warnings. The study aims to identify the
causes of nuisance flooding, quantify the events in terms of flooding levels and problem
areas, and determine the overall impacts that nuisance flooding events have on communities
in New Jersey. Flood data will be collected by deploying Onset HOBO U20L water level
loggers in various locations throughout the towns. Time series of water levels will
be collected and analyzed to isolate nuisance flooding events. These events will then
be analyzed and used to determine the effects that nuisance flooding has on the towns.
Once sufficient data has been collected, the CRC hopes to work with the communities
to develop a citizen early warning system in order to reduce property loss.
The first studies to be funded are taking place in the borough of Avalon in Cape May
County, NJ and in the borough of Longport in Atlantic County, NJ. The funding is being
channeled through the Atlantic Cape New Jersey Coastal Coalition (ACNJCC) in cooperation
with the respective towns. Fourteen total sites were selected in Avalon (with two
of these sites measuring tidal fluctuations in the bay) and eight total sites were
selected in Longport (with one of these sites measuring tidal fluctuations in the
bay). Tidal fluctuations are measured so that researchers can isolate nuisance flooding
caused by rain and nuisance flooding caused by increased tidal levels due to coastal
storms. Instruments deployed to measure nuisance flooding in the streets were affixed
to the underside of storm drains and instruments deployed to measure tidal fluctuations
were affixed to bulkheads. Data will be collected over the course of an entire year
and data analysis will be ongoing until the project is complete.