N.J. Reimbursed $27M to Cover Sandy Waterway Cleanup

The office of Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6) on Tuesday announced $27 million in reimbursement to the state Department of Environmental Protection for post-Superstorm Sandy waterway cleanup.

The cleanup effort was divided into three regions: north, central and south. Tuesday's reimbursement covers expenses generated from the north region cleanup, which focused on industrial areas in North Jersey southward to the Raritan Bay area.

“The New Jersey coast sustained such severe damage from Sandy, and these grants help to lessen the financial hit that our local governments still face as communities continue to recover from Sandy,” said Pallone, in a statement.  “That’s why I have been insistent that restoring our coast, beaches and waterways must be a top priority for the funding from the Sandy relief package.  I am grateful that FEMA recognizes the importance of these ongoing clean-up efforts in New Jersey.”

The funding allocation provides $27,288,778.10 in federal dollars to the DEP for the loading, hauling and disposal of debris in non-federally maintained waterways along the coast.

The DEP estimates that a total of 119,920 cubic yards of sand and other sediment was deposited into waterways during the storm and posed a threat to navigation. The three cleanup projects were most completed by the start of summer 2013.