Sussex Borough to apply for $400K grant for dam repair

SUSSEX BOROUGH — The Sussex Borough Council unanimously approved the submission of a grant application for approximately $400,000 on Aug. 18 to rehabilitate the Lake Rutherford Dam.

Stephen Welsh of Bruno Associates explained the details to the Council regarding applying for the NJ Department of Community Affairs grant.

Sussex Borough qualifies for the Federal program because 51 percent of its 2,130 residents are considered to be of low to moderate income, and other financial resources are unavailable.

The Lake Rutherford Dam is an earthen embankment with a near vertical stone masonry on the downstream face. The dam is classified as a Class I-High Hazard structure with a Spillway Design Storm.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has determined the dam and spillway cannot pass the full Probable Maximum Precipitation event of withstanding 34 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. In theory, the dam would break under so much rain. The 34 inches PMP test is required by the New Jersey Dam Safety Standards.

Civil Dynamics recommends protecting the Dam from overflowing by armoring the dam with a concrete slab across the crest, building a downstream stepped concrete buttress and a grouted rip-rap apron. The estimated cost of the project is $700,000, according to Chris Adams of Civil Dynamics.