Volunteers planting a curb-cut rain garden with the RCE Water Resources Program. Photo: RCE Water Resources Program.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) continues to expand its efforts in urban extension by securing funding to work directly with municipalities and their residents to address important issues affecting New Jersey’s towns.
In one such effort, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County has partnered with Hillsborough Township and Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (SBMWA) to obtain a $175,539 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to address flooding problems that are associated with Royce Brook.
The project will focus on engaging the community to adopt practices that help reduce flooding and clean the water in Royce Brook, which flows through the center of Hillsborough into the Borough of Manville, and ultimately, the Raritan River.
The grant will provide funding to install rain gardens in the township as well as promote stormwater management best practices. Patricia Rector, environmental agent for RCE of Somerset County, will lead the project.
This collaborative project will begin the process of reducing flooding in Hillsborough Township and improving the water quality of Royce Brook. Key partners include the Hillsborough Township Committee, Sustainable Hillsborough Steering Committee, the Environmental Commission, RCE Water Resources Program, RCE Master Gardeners and SBMWA staff. Township residents are a key part of the project, as well.
