As New Jersey continues to rebuild following Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) a $2,332,456 federal grant to assist in recovering from the historic storm.
The federal grant, part of FEMA Category B Emergency Protective Measures, will fund critical services needed as a result of Sandy’s damage to the facility including rental equipment, protective barriers and emergency repairs.
“Hurricane Sandy caused tremendous devastation to our region, particularly to New Jersey’s utilities, ” said Rep. Pascrell. “ PVSC suffered significant damage as a tidal surge overwhelmed the facility, flooding equipment and forcing the facility to cease processing wastewater. Recovering from this type of destruction requires the full cooperation of local, state and federal resources. Wastewater treatment facilities like PVSC provide a critical service in protecting our environment and the public’s health, so their recovery must remain a priority. I will continue to fight to ensure our utilities have the resource they need to rebuild and be better prepared for future disasters.”
Pascrell referred to the approximately $40 million from the state’s recent settlement with companies responsible for polluting the Passaic River initially earmarked for the Passaic River clean up, flooding abatement and dredging which, as of this month, will go into the state’s general fund to aid the budget, according to northjersey.com.
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Press Release, August 15, 2013