Peddie and Brainerd Lakes Drained
Hightstown Borough and Cranbury Township lowered the lakes in preparation for Hurricane Sandy
According to Borough Administrator Michael Theokas, the flood gate for Peddie Lake was opened fully Saturday afternoon and the lake began draining.
He said the lake was lowered by about 6 feet by 2 p.m. Sunday, and he predicts the lake will be at its lowest capacity by the time the rain starts.
The borough has also continued with preventative measures, including sandbaging the area, securing generators, and moving equipment to alleviate any possible damage and assure safety, Theokas said.
"Residents are encouraged to take great caution and take all possible measures to secure their homes," he said in an email. "All are advised to heed all warnings and announcements from the State."
Additionally, according to Cranbury Township Police Chief Rickey Varga, Brainerd Lake has been drained.
He said sandbags were also strategically placed to help keep any flood waters from backing up Main Street.
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B.Bennett
7:00 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
It sounds as if Hightstown didn't do what they were supposed to last year for Hurricane Irene. Why wasn't the lake lowered last year and the flood gates open prior to the storm? Sounds as if someone screwed up there? The stores in town were flooded and the borough hall....and this could have been prevented if the borough representatives....council and theokas....did their job? Wow - they should have to reimburse everyone from their own pockets and pay for borough hall to be replaced. Anyone have the real answer to this?
JP Gibbons
7:45 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
While Mike is not one of my favorite people facts are still fact in my world and you are wrong.
Mike was not appointed Borough Administrator until after the flood last year. Secondly the DEP prevented fully opening of the drains last year. Some water was drained but it took an order from the Governor this year to allow all affected dams to be lowered before the storm.
The preparation this year is much more proactive and we just wait and see if the plans work. You can expect downtown flooding again since it is now part of the secondary dam control plan.
Form my observations late yesterday if the water comes as it did last year, first to flood will be the Bank St. Park then the parking lot near the Tavern and Mercer St. and finally the parking area in front of the rug mill.
Let us all pray it stops there or before. The news states we got 6" to 7" last storm and this one can be 4" to 8" in Hightstown.
B.Bennett
8:15 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
Why did the DEP prevent fully opening the drains last year? They couldn't have lowered the lake with DEP approval and open the flood gates? I admit I don't like theokas at all....don't know how/why he got that job....needs to be replaced....
thanks JP for answering this - I like to understand what goes on in this town and why and you are pretty much up to date on eveything....
B.Bennett
8:17 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
correction - meant to write "they couldn't have lowered the lake last year WITHOUT DEP approval? and/or open the flood gates? Couldn't they have done one of these?
Rocky
9:46 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
Is DEP scrwed up big time last time? any one held accountable? Did any loose job? If any one has more info,pks share.
E.W. Mom
10:37 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
B. Bennett,
I feel that you are truely playing "Monday Mornimg Quarterback" with your comments about how thing were handled prior to Irene. It seems that Hightstown and the entrie state of NJ has learned alot from Irene and now the local and state govenments are trying to learn from their mistakes and makes sure this storm is not a repeat of Irene.
E.W. Mom
Just Saying
7:04 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Is this something we’re going to have to never forget? Because my memory is close to full on those things