Planning and Preservation

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have released updated draft flood risk data for Morris County, providing residents and local officials with an early look at the latest flood hazard information.

The draft flood data is accessible through an online viewer.

While the viewer does not include a public comment feature, it allows users to preview updated flood risk details ahead of the preliminary maps, expected in spring 2025.

This data, part of the ongoing Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) project, reflects the latest engineering analysis of how water flows and accumulates during floods. FEMA and the NJDEP contend the updates are a critical step toward developing accurate flood maps that help communities make informed decisions to protect lives and property.

Municipalities will have additional opportunities to provide feedback before the maps are finalized by federal and state authorities. Input from the public and local officials ensures that the maps are as accurate as possible.

FEMA and NJDEP stress the importance of accurate and up-to-date flood risk data in helping communities prepare for and mitigate flooding. Both agencies encourage residents and local leaders to review the draft data and actively participate in the process to improve flood awareness and resilience.

Residents should direct their questions to FEMA, NJDEP, or their municipal offices.

For more information, visit FEMA’s Geoplatform or contact NJDEP at 877-927-6337 or FEMA Region 2 Office at 212-680-3600.

Application forms for the 2025 grant round of the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund are now available.

Note the following schedule:

• Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Application Workshop, via Webex  (Please register to attend the Application Workshop via e-mail rchang@co.morris.nj.us or phone at (973) 829-8138)
• Friday, February 28, 2025: Declaration of Intent due at Morris County
• Friday, March 28, 2025: Grant Application Deadline

Morris County’s Open Space Trust Fund Committee recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve $1.8 million to acquire and preserve a total of 65.2 acres in 2024 Open Space projects during the board’s public work session last night in Morristown.

The recommendations for preservation cover properties in Denville, Mendham Township and Madison Borough, and range in size from 3.5 to 51 acres.

Read the full press release. 

For more information about each of the approved projects visit: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Departments/Open-Space-Preservation/Previous-Awards

In honor of Día de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation acknowledged last year’s launch of an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap© of Morris County cemeteries with a trip to the Orchard Street Cemetery and Gatehouse in Dover.

The Orchard Street Cemetery Gatehouse, built around 1875, is the latest historical site to benefit from the $3.6 million in grants that were allocated from Morris County’s Preservation Trust Fund to help restore, preserve and further protect 21 historic sites in 16 towns across the county.

Read the full press release. 

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners received a recommendation at the October 9th public work session to award more than $1.3 million in grants for the design of four municipal trails and the completion of three trail construction projects as part of the county’s nine-year-old Trail Construction Grant Program.

Betty Cass-Schmidt, Chairwoman of the Trail Construction Grant Advisory Committee, presented the 2024 recommendations, which include significant projects in Morristown, Mendham Borough, Morris Plains, Randolph Township, Denville, East Hanover and Montville.

Read the full press release. 

Flood Mitigation Program Supports Morris County Residents
Program Offers Options for Flood Prone Homeowners

With recent storms leaving some property owners under water again, Morris County is reminding everyone that the Morris County Flood Mitigation program has helped provide a fresh start to 86 flood prone homeowners in eight municipalities since its inception in 2012. 

The Flood Mitigation Program was established by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners in response to Hurricane Irene, which devastated sections of Morris County with catastrophic flooding in August 2011.   

“This was the first county-level flood acquisition program in New Jersey, and it has allowed Morris County to work with municipalities and other funding partners to help these homeowners get out of harm’s way.  Not only does this voluntary program help to decrease the risk of life and property being lost, but it also creates open space and provides areas to redirect flood waters in the future,” said Commissioner Stephen Shaw, liaison to the Flood Mitigation Committee.

The storm events in the past few weeks led to the worst flooding since Hurricane Irene, with rainfall amounts between 4 to over 5 inches in some parts of the county, according to the National Weather Service. Numerous towns experienced road closures and power outages, as well as flooding of homes.

The Morris County Flood Mitigation Program was established to augment state and federal mitigation programs. It was the first county flood mitigation program when it was created in 2012. Since then, it has received the “Outstanding Floodplain Management Award” from the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management and the state Department of Environmental Protection’s “Environmental Excellence Award.”

Some aspects of the program include:

The “CORE” program is designed to catch houses that have fallen through other agency funding nets, with Morris County providing up to 75% of the acquisition cost.

The “MATCH” program provides a 25% county match for projects already underway with agencies such as FEMA and NJDEP Blue Acres, aiding in the completion of these acquisitions.

For more information on the Morris County Flood Mitigation Program visit https://www.morriscountynj.gov/flood  or reach out to Program Coordinator, Mike DiGiulio MDiGiulio@co.morris.nj.us in the Morris County Office of Planning & Preservation.  

This fall, the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts will be kicking off “Rising Together, NJ,” a social media campaign that encourages people to come together to share their experiences with flooding in New Jersey. Ultimately, the goal is to compile these experiences into an archive everyone can use to support flood risk outreach and education efforts.

Learn more and share your story!