‘Frustrated’ Residents Seek Action on Cuckolds Brook Drainage Issues

A group of “very frustrated” Adamsville Road residents asked the township council April 4 to “take corrective action” regarding drainage in the area surrounding Cuckholds Brook.

Speaking on behalf of his neighbors, resident Curtis Kraut presented council members with a 13-page document that outlined residents’ concerns, described the situation and detailed what has been done thus far.

“We are very frustrated with the long history of drainage-related issues and the pace at which the township has moved to take corrective action,” Kraut told the governing body. “We acknowledge it’s in a flood plain, but the duration and severity of the problem has increased over time.”

Residents, Kraut said, have noticed that water volume entering Cuckholds Brook has steadily increased over the last 25 years, increasing the duration and extent of flooding and bank erosion along the brook.

In addition to minimizing the potential for flooding and property damage in the area, residents asked the council to put a system in place to clean and maintain the brook channel to reduce blocking potential and maintain capacity; stabilize and repair the banks in key areas to minimize erosion; and to evaluate the brook channel for capacity improvements.

“We see 100-year storms coming on a frequent basis,” Kraut said, explaining that they result in water flowing over the roadway and in homes, as well as extensive bank erosion.

Kraut cited several communications with township officials over the years, but noted that not enough has been done.

“All of the main issues still remain," he said. "We want some sort of dialogue going forward. In the last six-and-a-half years, we have seen essentially no forward movement.”

Kraut also noted that the township has spent $12.5 million on capital drainage projects since 2004.

“None of that money has been spent in our neighborhood,” he said.

Kraut also acknowledged a $40,900 study that included 7 percent of the brook’s length south of Route 22, but did not include the Adamsville Road section.

Council President Howard Norgalis directed township administrator Robert Bogart to review the information Kraut provided and report to the council at the next meeting.