ABOVE is a picture of the original damage to the Oliphant Mill Road dam from a rainstorm in 2020.
WOOLWICH TWP. – The Woolwich Township Committee has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to extend a deadline for the solution to the Oliphant dam washout so that all permitting, agreement and contracts can be completed. The township is asking the deadline to be extended to Dec. 11, 2024.
Oliphant Road has been closed due to the washout of the dam under that road since August 2020 when a severe storm hit the area.
FEMA advised the township that their original deadline for completion of the project expired in June 2022. The township said that the delays are due to permitting by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), obtaining a Dam Safety Permit from NJDEP, reviews by the state and US Fish and Wildlife Service, FEMA’s Environmental and Historic Preservation reviews, as well as restriction on construction due to endangered wildlife.
The township request stated that the township is working with the county and the owner of the dam to determine whether the dam will be removed or rebuilt.
By Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher
