A river cleanup effort is raising awareness and pushing for action on flooding

This story was produced as part of the Northern New Jersey Media Collaborative Project "Stormwater Matters," a project focusing on stormwater management solutions in the state.

In “A history of flooding — and broken promises — in Morristown’s Black community,” Emma Uk provided a comprehensive look at the historical background to flooding in Morristown. For decades, flooding has destroyed property and forced people out; where flooding was not an issue, gentrification has brought demographic change. Repeated studies, Uk reported, have examined the flooding problem — but very little action has been taken to address it. In this video, Mounira Elsamra shows how community members have mobilized, using an annual river cleanup to keep the flooding problems in the public eye and push officials to act.

For the past 13 years, the Whippany River Action Shed Committee has organized an annual spring Whippany River cleanup, with the main goal being to clean the debris that is brought to the river due to the melting snow. 

The Whippany River watershed covers almost 70 square miles within Morris County in North Central New Jersey. The Whippany River serves the only significant unconsolidated aquifer in northern New Jersey and is a source of drinking water for more than a million people. 

Kadmis Schefield: My name is Kadmis Schefield. I'm a senior at Newark Academy High School in Livingston. I'm here to get at the Whippany River cleanup with my mom and brother as part of the Redeemer Church in Morristown. I've grown up with a lot of influences surrounding, like making sure that you can like, help clean up nature not just for people to come and look at it and. To experience it also. For all the things that live in it and all the environmental factors surrounding it, so river that important, seeing that I found like two bags of trash. It's a lot. It's a little heartbreaking. It's a little heart wrenching. 

This year, the Whippany River Watershed Action Committee partnered with the Bethel Church of Morristown and Morris County Historical Society to clean a second location along with the riverbank.

Amy Curry, executive director of the Morris County Historical Association: “Yeah, because it's 19th century. So, today we're here cleaning up not only the garbage that comes down the river and accumulates down by the Bethel site and by Lake Pocahontas, but we are also using the opportunity to clean up the site of the original Bethel Church that was established here on Spring Street in 1843.  

“This site is very important. This site is probably one of the most significant sites in Morristown related to African American history, for sure. This is where the first Bethel AME was started and of course in the 19th century, the churches were the centers of the. Community. So, the community settled around the church.  

“This church also functioned as the first school for African American students in Morristown, but I doubt there are many that even know what this site was. You know, one of the things that we wanted to do was raise the awareness of the history of the site, make sure that the awareness guaranteed it did not get developed. Morristown is doing a lot of development locally and it's through awareness and just that education that we can prevent it from being demolished or being developed and, you know, be celebrated.” 

Dr. Sidney Williams, Bethel Church: “What's interesting about this area is the level of gentrification and displacement that has taken place; the number of buildings that have been torn down and not preserved. The demographics don't reflect the historical presence in this community.” 

The original Bethel Church site has been reduced to just an empty plot of land. It sits directly across the street from the newer Bethel Church where Dr. Sidney Williams serves his community as pastor. Thanks to Reverend Williams's advocacy, the Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a flood impact study to help determine what can be done to address the flooding that has historically affected the area. 

Dr. Sidney Williams: “We've been advocating for flood mitigation in this area because every year when the rainy season comes, the area floods, which is how we got started on this in 2011: our church flooded. We had four feet of water in our church. And we wanted to draw attention to this before we get another 100-year flood.” 

Thanks to Pastor Williams and other community members' efforts, the developers have agreed not to build on this land that holds so much history and community members are actively working on getting this small plot of land recognized as a local historical site. The Bethel Church of Morristown is at risk for flooding due to proximity to the Whippany River, but the new Army Corps study brings hope for the future that solutions may be found.