Nutley Parks and Recreation Department Director Commissioner Mauro G. Tucci announced today that a mitigation project at Memorial Park (the Mud Hole) will begin on Monday, November 4th. The project is being undertaken in response to the damage caused by 2021’s Tropical Storm Ida.
 
On September 1, 2021, the Township of Nutley experienced significant damage from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida, particularly affecting its park system following severe flooding. Shortly after, a collaborative project was launched with FEMA to cover the costs associated with the damages to Nutley's parks. The project was classified as Category G, meaning that any proposed mitigation for resilience must occur within the park system and could not be allocated to other efforts, such as elevating or acquiring flood-prone homes. Mitigation efforts for the Mud Hole were proposed at $580,000, which were approved and will be reimbursed to the Township by FEMA. Repairs were successfully completed, and the Township submitted plans to FEMA for mitigation strategies.
 
“The mitigation project involves clearing debris and items that have accumulated in the Mud Hole during storms, creating additional capacity for stormwater storage,” Commissioner Tucci said. “The goal of this project is to alleviate and prevent some of the flooding we experienced during Ida and increase retention space for flood waters during future storm events.”
 
Implementing various mitigation strategies will facilitate stormwater runoff management, thereby reducing the volume of damaging floodwaters and protecting homes and infrastructure. The mitigation of the Mud Hole should be viewed as an initial step among many taken by the Township to enhance resilience for future flooding events.
 
The Mud Hole will be closed for approximately six weeks during the mitigation, according to Commissioner Tucci. “We ask everyone to be patient while we work to make our beloved park system the best it can be,” he says. “Unfortunately, there is no single solution to flooding in a municipality. However, this project will go a long way toward better protecting the Mud Hole and the homes adjacent to it.”