FEMA collects data on potential hazards in area BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer MILLSTONE - Beware of fire and water. The township's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator, Lester Jargowsky, said the two elements are among the major emergency hazards that Millstone Township faces. He made his comments at the Sept. 5 Township Committee meeting. Jargowsky, who previously served as Monmouth County health officer, said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a hazard mitigation program and has made grants worth several hundred thousand dollars available to the county for emergency planning. The purpose of the program is to reduce damages that FEMA may have to pay for after certain events, including flooding, hurricanes, ice storms and other natural disasters, according to Jargowsky. Monmouth County's OEM is leading the project, but the New Jersey State Police are also involved and have asked every OEM in the county to provide FEMA with data. The information has to detail possible issues in the county and how some of the dangers involved could be mitigated, according to Jargowsky. About half of the 26 towns in the county have already submitted their data to the federal government. FEMA has already conducted the free program in other counties in the state, according to Jargowsky. On behalf of Millstone, Jargowsky submitted information to the county on Aug. 20 proposing a flood hazard mitigation planning project. The plan includes using two existing sand mine pits in the township for detention to reduce the velocity of flooding adjacent to the Millstone River in a flood event, he said. Other documents Jargowsky submitted for the program include an evaluation of groundwater resources in the township, a forest management plan for 96 acres belonging to Campo Construction Co., and various other documents related to the Campo mining pit, such as permit applications and an environmental impact assessment. From his previous work as a health officer, Jargowsky said he is familiar with the flooding of the Millstone River. He said that the river starts in one of the ponds at Halka Nurseries and flows downstream through Princeton and eventually to Bound Brook. While Millstone Township is about 150 feet above sea level, Bound Brook is only 10 feet above sea level, he said. "Bound Brook gets tremendous flooding - at times catastrophic," he said. "We can mitigate some local flooding in Millstone and benefit our neighbors downstream as well." Wildfire is also a major concern for the township, according to Jargowsky, and FEMA feels that the wildfire potential in the area is high. There are various drafting places in the township where the fire company can pull water from in the event of an emergency, including the Millstone River and Perrineville Lake, which is silted and only has a few feet of water, he said. Jargowsky said a lot of towns in central New Jersey are building up to large forested areas, which FEMA considers a high fire risk. "Having a good supply of water for fire protection is critical," he said. Should a fire occur in the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, water could be taken out of Rising Sun Tavern Lake, he said. Mayor Nancy Grbelja said that at its meetings the Board of Fire Commissioners has mentioned lakes in the Assunpink as places where firefighters can draw water. "It would be nice if they had something more accessible," she said.