Blue Acres Project Approval for $3.2M in NRCS EWP Flood Buyout Funding

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) formally approved the funding agreement for the $3.2 million Blue Acres buyout project for five specific properties located in East Hanover Township in Morris County and South Plainfield Township in Middlesex County. The project will be funded with $2.5 million from the USDA, while the remaining amount will be provided by the state. The NRCS administers the EWP to assist in protecting lives and property from flooding or soil erosion after a natural disaster. This federal funding comes in response to a declaration of watershed impairment by the State Conservationist following riverine flooding between December 18, 2023, and January 10, 2024. Prior to the full, formal approval of NRCS-EWP buyout funds, this new partnership between NRCS and the State of NJ was announced by NJDEP and covered by national and local media outlets.

A participating homeowner meets with Blue Acres and USDA staff, sharing photos from past flood events impacting their home.

The five participating homeowners have been informed of the approval, and they are each actively working with a Blue Acres case manager. Homeowners awaiting buyout funding opportunities can be assured that Blue Acres will provide timely updates to them as new information becomes available.

Using funds from the NRCS-EWP buyout program, Blue Acres will purchase homes from participating residents and remove the buildings from the flood-prone area. The area will then be stabilized and replanted to enhance natural flood storage. The restoration may also include passive recreation opportunities and improved wildlife habitats. To accomplish these goals, conservation practices such as obstruction removal, brush management, tree and shrub planting, critical area planting, and mulching will be implemented.

Blue Acres is planning community engagement opportunities to inform residents about the voluntary buyout project and ongoing flood mitigation efforts in their community. While no meetings have been scheduled yet, community members will have the chance to ask questions and provide input on post-buyout land use as plans develop. Those interested can look out for upcoming updates about opportunities to participate.

In communities impacted by constant flooding or severe erosion due to a natural disaster, a property buyout might be the best solution. Blue Acres is a voluntary buyout program that only works with willing sellers. The buyout process remains fully voluntary from the initial expression of interest in a buyout to the date of closing. As part of NJDEP’s Office of Climate Resilience, Blue Acres plays an integral part in advancing the State of New Jersey’s Climate Change Resilience Strategy.

Blue Acres Receives Record $24.7M Allocation through State’s Corporate Business Tax

February 27, 2025

On January 30^th, 2025, Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly bill 5121/ Senate bill 3943, appropriating a record-breaking $24.7 million in funding for the Blue Acres program from revenue generated through the state’s Corporate Business Tax (CBT). The appropriations made available under this bill have been and the board of the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT), and they will support the voluntary acquisition of flood-prone properties across New Jersey for flood storage, conservation and recreational use.

This marks the largest single-year funding increase in Blue Acres history. Historic allocations to the program were smaller, typically $3-$4 million but following Ida funding rose to $10.5 million, and this year’s $24.7 million allocation, showing New Jersey’s growing commitment to the program, state led flood mitigation efforts and the importance of nature-based climate resilience solutions.

Stay tuned, there will be additional buyout funding opportunities for homeowners. Blue Acres staff will reach out directly to engage eligible applicants. If you have already applied to Blue Acres, you do not need to reapply. These funds will not affect the approval status of buyout applicants or participants in federal grants.

Flooding in Delran, NJ – January 2024 (Source: Fox 29 Philadelphia)

How CBT Funds Are Used

Blue Acres uses CBT funds to:

Pay upfront expenses for federal grant-funded projects. Many federal buyout programs require project costs such as property appraisals and purchase prices to be fronted by state or local funds and then reimbursed by federal grant funds. CBT funding helps bridge this gap, ensuring projects move forward efficiently and that homeowner timelines can progress quickly once federal awards are attained. Blue Acres state funds safeguards homeowners and local government partners from having to deal with fits and starts or the delays associated with requesting and awaiting federal reimbursements at each step of the buyout process.
Pay local cost shares required as part of federal grant agreements. For example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program (NRCS-EWPP) covers 75% of buyout program costs, leaving the remaining 25% to be funded locally, a cost that will be covered entirely by CBT funds.
Carry out 100% state-funded buyouts. Fully state funded buyouts are implemented quicker and they require no external approvals or oversight which allow homeowners to transition to safer areas more efficiently.

The Blue Acres program remains committed to working with willing sellers of flood-prone homes to provide the option of a voluntary buyout with the goal of enhancing community climate resilience. With this historic CBT funding allocation, the program aims to implement state-funded buyouts in communities that continue to recover from Hurricane Ida (September 2021) and more recent storms in December 2023 and January 2024 which resulted in severe flooding for several New Jersey communities.

Blue Acres Receives Approval for a Fourth Batch of FEMA Flood Buyout Funding

February 21, 2025

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a fourth batch of Blue Acres buyout funding for 4 specific properties, following the first batch approval for 14 properties in January 2024, second batch approval for 37 properties in April 2024, and third batch approval for 42 properties in May 2024. These batch approvals are part of the $50 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocation for voluntary buyouts in New Jersey following Hurricane Ida’s impact in September 2021. This fourth batch approval brings the cumulative total of obligated post-Ida HMGP buyout funds to $44.6 million.

Homeowners awaiting buyout funding opportunities, such as HUD-funded buyouts, can be assured that Blue Acres will provide timely updates on their cases as new information becomes available.

Blue Acres staff notified the owners of these 4 properties approved immediately via phone calls, emails, and certified mail. Blue Acres also assigned case managers to begin guiding the homeowners through the steps to receive a formal buyout offer. The recently approved properties are across three municipalities: the Borough of Manville, Township of Montgomery, and the Borough of New Milford. Blue Acres staff looks forward to providing buyout offers to the Batch 4 homeowners, as well as those still awaiting approval.

The fourth batch approval brings the total number of approved properties to 97 under HMGP. All properties proposed for HMGP buyout funding meet State and FEMA criteria for reducing flood hazard risks to life and property.

Flooding in New Milford, NJ after Hurricane Irene in 2011 (Credit: Patch.com/New-Jersey)

Among the priority categories represented by the 4 homes in batch 4:

All 4 homes are in a FEMA-mapped flood zone, specifically the 100-year Special Flood Hazard Area, with a greater than 1% chance annually of flood inundation.
2 homes were declared substantially damaged (SD), meaning calculated damages equated to at least 50% of the structure’s value;
3 homes are designated as “repetitive loss” or “severe repetitive loss,” based on the number of flood insurance payouts they have received over time from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program;
3 homes are in state-identified Overburdened Communities (OBC).

There are 17 properties that are waiting for approval and currently remain under federal review. As FEMA approves additional batches of properties, Blue Acres will continue to notify homeowners and local governments.

The goal of FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is to reduce or mitigate losses from future disasters. The Blue Acres program works to achieve this goal in two ways – by removing homes from high flood-risk areas (thereby enabling those residents to relocate to safer locations) and by increasing flood storage by returning the land to open space. This reduces the number of structures at risk of damage from flooding during storms and provides additional buffers and storage for floodwaters, which protects the remaining homes in these areas. Overall, this process makes families and communities more resilient to climate change.

Blue Acres is a voluntary buyout program that only works with willing sellers. The buyout process remains fully voluntary from the initial expression of interest in a buyout to the date of closing. As part of NJDEP’s Office of Climate Resilience, Blue Acres plays an integral part of advancing the State of New Jersey’s Climate Change Resilience Strategy.

Blue Acres Receives Approval for $3.5M in NRCS EWP Flood Buyout Funding

January 29, 2025

This past week, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) formally approved the funding agreement for $3.5M in Blue Acres buyout funding for five specific properties located along the Orchard Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River, in Cranford Township. This funding comes in response to a declaration of watershed impairment and property damages sustained in 2021 as a result of Hurricane Ida. This buyout project is 100% federally funded. Prior to the full, formal approval of NRCS buyout funds, this new partnership between NRCS EWP and the State of NJ was announced by NJ DEP and covered by national and local media outlets.

The five participating homeowners have been informed of the approval, and individually, they are actively working with a Blue Acres case manager. Homeowners awaiting buyout funding opportunities, can be assured that Blue Acres will provide timely updates to them as new information becomes available.

With NRCS EWP buyout funds, Blue Acres will acquire the homes from cooperating residents, remove the homes and structures from the flood hazard area. The flood prone area will be stabilized and revegetated to provide natural flood storage benefits and the restoration may include some passive recreation, and enhanced wildlife habitat. Conservation practices including obstruction removal, brush management, tree and shrub site prep, tree and shrub establishment, critical area planting and mulching will be utilized to achieve these objectives.

Cranford Mayor Terrance Curran (right) and Blue Acres Manager Courtney Wald-Wittkop (left) present at the community meeting on January 27, 2025.

On January 27, 2025, Blue Acres hosted a community engagement meeting with the Township of Cranford and the County of Union at the Cranford Community Center. The goal of the meeting was to inform community members of the voluntary buyout project and other flood mitigation projects taking place nearby such as the County’s culvert project. Meeting attendees were able to ask questions about the different projects and sign up to receive updates, including future opportunities to provide input on post-buyout land use. You can view a copy of the Blue Acres presentation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers the EWP to assist project sponsors in protecting lives and property from flooding or soil erosion after a natural disaster. In communities impacted by constant flooding or severe erosion due to a natural disaster, a property buyout might be the best solution.

Murphy Administration Partners with USDA to Launch Buyouts of Flood-Prone Property in Cranford

Last modified on January 3rd, 2025 at 8:38 am

(24/P58) TRENTON – See the original DEP press release here.

See NJ.com coverage here.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Blue Acres program, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has launched a $3.5 million project to buy out flood-prone residential properties in Cranford Township, Union County, marking the beginning of a partnership that is expected to expand the availability of additional USDA buyout funds in flood-prone communities across the state.

The Cranford project specifically targets homes that were flooded along Orchard Brook. The buyouts are funded entirely by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection program, established for emergency recovery work including the purchase of floodplain property buyouts.

This project, and similar DEP-USDA partnership projects expected to be launched in other communities, expands the reach of the state’s post-Ida disaster recovery projects, which to date have been primarily funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Community Development Block Grant programs.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with USDA and announce this additional source of funding that will provide more fuel for the state’s buyout program and support New Jersey residents seeking to move out of areas plagued by repeated flooding,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “Cranford’s leadership sets a great example for other communities to follow by making sure its residents are informed about their options for escaping the threat of flooding and supporting decisions to relocate. There’s no doubt these buyouts will provide much needed relief to property owners in Cranford and in other communities going forward.”

“Through these voluntary buyouts, the NRCS is committed to working with NJ DEP’s Blue Acres program to acquire at-risk properties and restore the land to a natural state. This approach helps protect the surrounding community by increasing flood storage capacity and preventing future development in high-risk zones,” said Julie Hawkins, New Jersey-NRCS State Conservationist. “The program is especially valuable where structural solutions like levees or flood walls are ineffective or financially unsustainable. Once a property is purchased, it is restricted to open space use, ensuring that flood-prone areas are preserved for conservation and community safety.”

“Cranford continues to advance our ‘All of the Above’ flood mitigation strategy to support our residents and prepare for the next storm. This dynamic new home buy-out program is an incredible example of cooperation across federal, state, and local government to help residents in highly flood prone areas,” said Cranford Township Mayor Brian Andrews. “We greatly appreciate the Biden Administration and Murphy Administration for their partnership pushing this forward and hope it can be a model for projects in other towns.”

“The Murphy Administration has been working hard to implement a statewide climate resilience strategy to better protect lives and property,” said DEP Chief Resilience Officer Nick Angarone. “However, in many cases, buyouts are the only way to ensure that safety and well-being of property owners by moving them out of harm’s way.”

An Innovative Funding Partnership Opportunity

Properties acquired through the buyout project will be restored to open space that will mitigate flooding, create recreational opportunities and provide ecological benefits for the community. The DEP-USDA partnership provides crucial funding that supports ongoing efforts to meet the statewide demand for flood buyouts. Through continued funding requests, the DEP Blue Acres program will seek to expand its ability to offer buyouts in more communities across the state.

State-led buyouts are a powerful tool communities can employ in conjunction with other flood mitigation measures to reduce flood risk and prevent the loss of homes in areas prone to repeated flooding and erosion. Cranford, which has a long history of working with homeowners to mitigate their flood vulnerability through home elevations, initially proposed a plan for buyouts following Tropical Storm Ida in September 2021.

In August, DEP and Cranford Township officials met with homeowners participating in the project to discuss the buyout process. Another meeting is planned for January for homeowners located near the buyout cluster, but who are not participating, to share information about the buyout project goals and benefits. Additionally, DEP’s Blue Acres program plans to seek community input on the restored open space that will be created.

About Blue Acres

DEP’s Blue Acres Buyout Program helps New Jersey communities identify and avoid risks of flooding through strategic climate resilience planning and the state-led acquisition of flood-prone property. Since Tropical Storm Ida impacted the state in 2021, New Jersey has committed $100 million in federal funds for buyouts across storm-affected areas. The state has also leveraged funding from the Garden State Preservation Trust to supplement Blue Acres work, including providing local matches for federally funded buyouts.

The homeowners of the properties targeted for acquisition are willing sellers who have experienced repeated flooding and streambank erosion jeopardizing their homes. The DEP Blue Acres program is committed to making the buyout process as seamless as possible and will assign a case worker to guide each homeowner through the process.

Since its inception in 1995, Blue Acres has acquired nearly 1,200 flood-prone properties, successfully moving families out of harm’s way, deed-restricting the land in perpetuity for uses compatible with natural floodplain functions and enhancing community climate resilience.

Land Use Visioning Increases Support for and Participation in Flood Buyouts

Last modified on May 20th, 2025 at 11:54 am

September 18, 2024

As an example of “visioning,” shown above is a concept design for a floodplain restoration project. Blue Acres’ survey asked if similar designs used in public engagement processes would influence respondents’ views on flood buyouts. Graphic from: Creating Flood-Resilient Landscapes, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources

Blue Acres administered an online survey to understand if more public engagement is needed around buyouts and to see if post-buyout land use visioning efforts would improve support for buyout participation and community land stewardship.  For context, land use “visioning” refers to preparing digital renderings of a site that display proposed restoration options for implementation. The visioning being discussed in this survey would occur in consultation with community members to provide visual examples of how the land might be utilized once it becomes open space.

Survey Distribution
The short, seven-question survey went live on February 28th, 2024, and accepted survey responses for sixty-two days, concluding on April 30th.  To solicit responses, it was shared via email with those on the Blue Acres listserv and the Governor’s Office of Innovation’s email list. The survey was also promoted by Blue Acres staff during presentations at three professional conferences during March and April.

Survey Responses
The survey yielded eighty-six responses from community members, homeowners, or government representatives. Most respondents (93%) seemed to favor more public engagement around buyouts, and over 87% of respondents felt that if visual aids were available to define post-buyout land use, they would be more likely to support buyouts.  Similarly, the responses to two questions asking how participants connect open space to flood protection showed that most people believe more open space in the floodplain and a naturally functioning floodplain can meaningfully reduce damage from flooding, 94.3% and 76% respectively. Likewise, the majority of respondents indicated they support funding to address long-term management of buyout lands.

Survey Outcomes
The responses collected support Blue Acres’ ongoing initiatives to better engage communities focusing on flood risk and mitigation communications and post-buyout land use visioning. By creating opportunities for post-buyout land use visioning, Blue Acres aims to grow support for buyouts while empowering community members to advocate for the optimization of buyout lands to meet community goals and needs such as climate resilience, beautification, passive recreation, etc.

Blue Acres thanks all who participated—community feedback is essential as the program works towards innovative, sustainable solutions for flood-impacted areas. 

DCA to Submit Request to US HUD for the Release of Federal Funds for the Blue Acres Program

As cross-posted from the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Environmental and Historic Preservation Review Information webpage:
https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/resources/environmental.shtml

The Environmental and Historic Program of the [DCA] Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation ensures that all funded projects meet federal compliance. The federal government requires all construction work done in Hurricane Ida recovery programs and Superstorm Sandy recovery programs that are funded with Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) dollars be reviewed in a tiered environmental assessment to ensure projects undertaken will have no significant impact on the environment. Therefore, no construction work can begin on projects until all levels of environmental review have been complete and found to be in compliance. Public notices about the environmental review records for recovery projects are published in English and Spanish on this webpage.

Any individual, group, or agency disagreeing with a project’s environmental review determination or wishing to comment on the project may submit written comments within a set public comment period to:

Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation, Environmental Historic Program
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
101 South Broad Street
PO Box 823
Trenton, NJ 08625-0823

Public comments may also be submitted via email at DRM.EHPComments@dca.nj.gov.
When submitting a public comment, please be sure to reference the project name and location in the comment.

Public comments can additionally be submitted to:

Tennille Smith Parker
DRSI, Division Director, HUD
451 Seventh Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20410

The following are Hurricane Ida recovery projects that are currently in the environmental review public comment period:

Posted on July 24, 2024

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Hurricane Ida Tier 1 Environmental Assessments

Project Title: New Jersey Blue Acres Tiered Environmental Reviews for Hurricane Ida

Location: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, and Warren counties

The total estimated project cost is $16,000,000.

The projects would entail the acquisition of residential properties within a floodway, floodplain, or other disaster risk reduction area to reduce the risk from future flooding. Acquired properties would be cleared of all existing structures and related improvements and the land would be restored as wetlands and/or floodplains to serve a defined open space and climate-resilience purpose.

COMBINED PUBLIC NOTICE

All comments received by August 8, 2024, or fifteen (15) days from the actual date of publication, whichever is later, will be considered by DCA.

DESCRIPCIÓN DEL PROYECTO

Huracán Ida – Evaluaciones medioambientales de nivel 1

Título del proyecto: New Jersey Blue Acres – Revisiones medioambientales por niveles para al huracán Ida.

Ubicación: Condados de Nueva Jersey: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris y Warren.

El costo total estimado del proyecto es de $16,000,000 dólares.

Los proyectos implicarían la adquisición de propiedades residenciales dentro de un aliviadero, llanura de inundación u otra área con reducción de riesgo de desastre para aminorar posibles inundaciones en el futuro. En las propiedades que se adquieran se removerán todas las edificaciones existentes y conexas y se convertirá el terreno en humedales y/o llanuras inundables para servir como espacio abierto definido y propósitos de resiliencia frente al clima.

AVISO PÚBLICO COMBINADO

Todos los comentarios recibidos hasta el 8 de agosto de 2024 o quince (15) días a partir de la fecha vigente de publicación, la que sea posterior, serán considerados por el DCA.

Bergen County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Essex County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Gloucester County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Hudson County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Hunterdon County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Mercer County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Middlesex County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Morris County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Passaic County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Somerset County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Union County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Warren County Tier 1 Environmental Assessment

Blue Acres Receives Approval for a Third Batch of FEMA Flood Buyout Funding

Last modified on May 31st, 2024 at 11:59 am

May 22, 2024

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a third batch of Blue Acres buyout funding for 42 specific properties, following the first batch approval for 14 properties in January and the second batch approval for 37 properties in April. These batch approvals are part of the $50 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocation for voluntary buyouts in New Jersey following Hurricane Ida’s impact in September 2021. This third batch approval brings the cumulative total of obligated post-Ida HMGP buyout funds to $42.9 million.

Homeowners awaiting buyout funding opportunities, such as HUD-funded buyouts, can be assured that Blue Acres will provide timely updates on their cases as new information becomes available.

Blue Acres staff notified the owners of these 42 properties approved immediately via phone calls, emails, and certified mail. Blue Acres also assigned case managers to begin guiding the homeowners through the steps to receive a formal buyout offer. The recently approved properties are across five municipalities: the Township of Delaware, the Borough of Dunellen, the City of Lambertville, the Borough of Manville, and the City of Rahway. Blue Acres staff looks forward to providing buyout offers to the Batch 3 homeowners, as well as those still awaiting approval.

The third batch approval is the largest yet and brings the total number of approved properties to 93 under HMGP. All properties proposed for HMGP buyout funding meet State and FEMA criteria for reducing flood hazard risks to life and property.

Flooding on Sept. 2, 2021 in the Lost Valley section of Manville, NJ

Among the priority categories represented by the 42 homes in batch 3:

All 42 homes are in a FEMA-mapped flood zone.
41 of these are in the 100-year Special Flood Hazard Area, with a greater than 1% chance annually of flood inundation.
6 of these are directly within the regulatory floodway (this means the home sits in the channel of a river or watercourse, within the area of direct hydrological flow or in the adjacent buffer area reserved to reduce flood volume during a significant storm event);
35 homes were declared substantially damaged (SD), meaning calculated damages equated to at least 50% of the structure’s value;
33 homes are designated as “repetitive loss” or “severe repetitive loss,” based on the number of flood insurance payouts they have received over time from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program;
25 homes are in state-identified Overburdened Communities (OBC).

There are 21 properties that are waiting for approval and currently remain under federal review. As FEMA approves additional batches of properties, Blue Acres will continue to notify homeowners and local governments.

Blue Acres Receives Approval for a Second Batch of FEMA Flood Buyout Funding

April 24, 2024

Image Credit: Firefighters assist in the evacuation of New Milford residents after flooding. Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Blue Acres buyout funding for an additional 37 properties, following the first batch approval for fourteen properties in January, as part of the $50 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocation for voluntary buyouts in New Jersey. Many of these 37 homes were impacted by severe flooding in April 2022, December 2023 and/or January 2024, in addition to damages sustained during Ida in 2021. Blue Acres staff notified the owners of these 37 properties immediately via phone calls, emails, and certified mail. Blue Acres also assigned case managers to begin guiding the homeowners through the steps to receive a formal buyout offer. This second batch approval brings the total of obligated post-Ida HMGP funds to $23.6 million. Sixty-three properties remain under review and Blue Acres notified these homeowners that while the wait for approval continues, program staff are ready to hit the road running as soon as the approval is issued by FEMA.

Blue Acres is a voluntary buyout program that only works with willing sellers. The buyout process remains fully voluntary from application to closing day.

All properties proposed for HMGP funding meet State and FEMA criteria for reducing flood hazard risks to life and property. Among the priority categories represented by the 37 homes in Batch 2:

All 37 homes are in a FEMA-mapped floodplain, with a greater than 1% chance annually of flood inundation;
- 17 of these are directly within the regulatory floodway (this means the home sits in the channel of a river or watercourse, within the area of direct hydrological flow or in the adjacent buffer area reserved to reduce flood volume during a significant storm event);
15 homes were declared substantially damaged (SD), meaning calculated damages equated to at least 50% of the structure’s value;
26 homes are designated as “repetitive loss” or “severe repetitive loss,” based on the number of flood insurance payouts they have received over time from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program;
16 homes are in CDC-identified socially vulnerable communities; and
11 homes are in state-identified Overburdened Communities (OBC).

New Jersey continues to see record precipitation, with March 2024 being the third wettest on record, following the fourth wettest winter during the 2023-2024 season. As the frequency and intensity of floods are anticipated to rise, Blue Acres continues to help New Jersey residents relocate from flood-prone homes, helping communities increase flood resilience through strategic floodplain acquisition and restoration. Blue Acres remains an entirely voluntary program, and always accepts buyout applications from interested homeowners. For more information, reach out to the Blue Acres team via phone (609-940-4140) or email (blueacres@dep.nj.gov), and keep an eye on the Blue Acres website for future program updates.

Image Credit: Floodway vs. 100-year Floodplain by Tulsa Engineering & Planning

Blue Acres Individual Consultations: February Recap

March 6, 2024

December 2023 rainfall totals across New Jersey in inches (from 5″ in dark red to 10.99″ in dark green). Image courtesy of the Rutgers NJ Weather Network.

The final month of 2023 proved to be the wettest December in NJ since records started in 1895, with a statewide average rainfall of 8.2”. Followed immediately by the wettest January in a quarter of a century, the multiple flood events this winter caused wrought havoc, causing widespread power outages and leaving roads impassable. As a result of these flood events, Blue Acres received more than ninety new applications for voluntary buyouts.

To better gauge program interest and answer homeowners’ questions, Blue Acres staff hosted a series of private consultation sessions in February. The three sessions, held February 1^st, 8^th, and 15^th, gave homeowners who were particularly hard-hit by the December-January floods the chance to speak one-on-one with Blue Acres representatives. Outreach materials were sent out in English and Spanish with the aid of multiple municipal governments, and a language interpreter was available at each event.

At the first session, held at the Borough of Pompton Lakes Municipal Building on February 1, Blue Acres staff held 18 individual consultations. On February 8 at the Lodi Memorial Library, staff spoke with another 16 property owners individually. A further 19 one-on-one discussions occurred at the online session on February 15. Of the 53 consultations held last month, 22 homeowners opted to apply for a buyout during or immediately following their consultation, accounting for nearly a quarter of Blue Acres applications since mid-December 2023.

Blue Acres remains committed to meeting flood-impacted homeowners where they are and providing personalized attention through one-on-one conversations. Homeowners are always welcome to reach out to the Blue Acres program directly for assistance and information, and they do not need to wait for a consultation event to be scheduled. For more information, contact us at blueacres@dep.nj.gov or (609) 940-4140.