The US Congress approved the Federal Water Resources Act of 2016 on Saturday morning, December 10, and the President signed it right before the Holidays. The Act includes the authorization of the Rahway River Flood Mitigation Project as a priority project. Once the Secretary of the Army approves the report, the legislation authorizes engineering and pre-construction funds on the project. This represents a major milestone to bring flood relief to the communities along the Rahway River. Congressman Leonard Lance; Senate Cory Booker, Senator Robert Melendez and Congressman Donald Payne were instrumental in this legislative action representing in a great way Union and Essex County communities. The next step for citizens is to provide public comment by January 23 on the feasibility report. Public comments on the DIFR and EIS should be submitted to: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District Planning Division-Environmental Branch (ATTN: Ms. Kimberly Rightler) 26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278-0090 Public comments can also be submitted by e-mail to RahwayRiver@usace.army.mil. Comments received by January 23, 2016 regarding DIFR and EIS will assist in the agency’s evaluation of the project changes and will be reflected in the project record. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District in partnership with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced the availability of the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement (DIFR/EIS) for the Rahway River Flood Risk Management Study, Rahway, N.J. for a 45-day public comment period, in which the general public can submit comments regarding the report. This Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement has been prepared to document the formulation and evaluation of plans to address flooding problems in the Rahway River Basin and the significance of potential environmental impacts of the Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) recommended in the report. The TSP consists of two alternative project elements in three different areas in the circumference of the Rahway River Basin: Alternative 4a, which includes channel improvements in Cranford, N.J. and modification to the Orange Reservoir Dam spillway in West Orange, N.J., and Alternative 2a, which is a non-structural plan in the 10-year floodplain for the Robinson’s Branch in the City of Rahway, N.J. The TSP provides various levels of flood risk management to the Townships of Cranford, Springfield, Millburn, and the City of Rahway. Reports and documents for the DIFR and EIS Rahway River Flood Risk Management Study are available for review and downloadable from the Army Corps’ New York District website: http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-Jersey/Rahway-River/ Public comments on the DIFR and EIS should be submitted to: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District Planning Division-Environmental Branch (ATTN: Ms. Kimberly Rightler) 26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278-0090 Public comments can also be submitted by e-mail to RahwayRiver@usace.army.mil. Comments received by January 23, 2016 regarding DIFR and EIS will assist in the agency’s evaluation of the project changes and will be reflected in the project record. All written comments, including contact information, will be made a part of the administrative record, available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Administrative Record, or portions thereof, may also be posted on a Corps of Engineers’ internet website. Due to resource limitations, this office will normally not acknowledge the receipt of comments or respond to individual letters of comments. Additionally, the Army Corps will also be holding public information meetings within the 45 day comment period, to solicit comments and feedback concerning the DIFR and EIS. The Army Corps is in close coordination with non-federal partner NJDEP and other study stakeholders regarding details on the time, place, and format for the public information meetings. Updates on the specifics of these meetings will be announced shortly and will be posted at the link as follow: page1image23616 page1image23776 www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-Jersey/Rahway-River/ T