By Matthew Hersh
Residents who have experienced flooded roads, eroding streambanks, or failing stormwater infrastructure are being asked to help shape a regional watershed management plan, as Princeton joins seven neighboring municipalities in developing a long-term strategy to improve water quality and reduce flooding throughout the Lower Millstone watershed.
Montgomery Township, which is leading the multi-town process through a grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), marks the next step in developing a federally recognized Nine Element Watershed Management Plan for the Lower Millstone watershed. Princeton is participating alongside Montgomery, Franklin Township, South Brunswick, Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, Manville, and Rocky Hill, with The Watershed Institute serving as a project partner.
The coalition held a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, July 14, after press time, where organizers launched an effort to solicit public feedback to identify locations where they have observed flooding, streambank erosion, malfunctioning stormwater facilities, and other drainage concerns using an interactive online mapping survey. Residents are also encouraged to send any photographs and additional information to LowerMillstoneWatershed@thewatershed.org as planners compile local observations alongside technical data.
The regional initiative builds on Princeton’s own watershed assessment, which the Municipality began this year to better understand environmental conditions across its eight watersheds. As previously reported by Town Topics, that effort has focused on identifying contaminants, evaluating water quality, and laying the groundwork for projects aimed at reducing stormwater runoff and improving local waterways.
Municipal Engineer and Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton said Princeton did not receive the NJDEP grant supporting the Lower Millstone effort. Instead,
Montgomery Township secured the funding and is coordinating the regional planning process.
Stockton added that the Survey123 tool originally developed for Princeton’s Stony Brook Watershed Management Plan remains open and is also being used to gather public input for the Lower Millstone watershed, allowing residents to identify flooding, erosion, drainage problems, water quality concerns, and other locations requiring attention.
Unlike Princeton’s municipal assessment, which examines conditions within the town, the Lower Millstone initiative takes a watershed-wide approach that crosses municipal boundaries.
“Approaching the problem on the watershed scale creates an opportunity to look across the region for where the most effective projects can be located that will do the most good and hopefully at a lower cost than what each town could do on its own,” said Michael L. Pisauro Jr., policy director for The Watershed Institute.
Pisauro said regional planning also helps municipalities avoid developing separate watershed plans that may not complement one another, reducing the likelihood that communities will later need to revise projects because they fail to address broader watershed conditions.
Because watersheds do not follow municipal borders, runoff generated in one community can affect streams, rivers, and water quality in another. Officials say developing a coordinated plan allows participating municipalities to identify projects that provide the greatest environmental benefit across the entire watershed while strengthening future applications for state and federal implementation funding.
The watershed management plan will examine issues including stormwater runoff, flooding, bacterial contamination, nutrient pollution, streambank erosion, and habitat conditions. Public comments collected through Tuesday’s meeting and the online survey will be incorporated with technical analyses to help identify priority projects throughout the watershed.
Princeton occupies a unique position within the region because it spans two major drainage systems. Rainfall on the western side of the Municipality flows toward Stony Brook, while the eastern portion drains into the Millstone River before eventually joining the larger Raritan River system. That natural divide has shaped the community’s development for centuries and continues to influence how Princeton manages stormwater and protects water resources.
Once the regional watershed management plan is completed, its recommendations will be incorporated into participating municipalities’ Watershed Assessment Reports, which are expected to be finalized in 2027.
Pisauro said he hopes the completed plans will provide municipalities with “a menu of solutions,” beginning with relatively straightforward improvements such as repairing aging or malfunctioning stormwater infrastructure and upgrading systems that may have been installed decades ago. Longer-term recommendations could include restoring stream buffers and wetlands, reconnecting floodplains, and other nature-based strategies designed to reduce flooding while improving water quality and habitat.
Residents who were unable to attend the July 14 meeting may continue submitting information through the online mapping survey or by emailing LowerMillstoneWatershed@thewatershed.org. Pisauro and Stockton noted that community observations will help better identify local problem areas and shape future restoration and stormwater improvement projects throughout the Lower Millstone watershed.