WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-7th District, announced Monday that several New Jersey water infrastructure and flood mitigation initiatives were included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September.
Kean voted in favor of the legislation, which supports water resources projects of national, regional and local significance undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to Kean’s office, the legislation includes authorization for the Army Corps of Engineers to provide emergency streambank erosion and shoreline protection assistance along Salt Brook in Summit.
The bill also advances flood mitigation studies in the Raritan River Green Brook Basin, Passaic River Basin and Rahway River Basin. The studies are intended to improve flood risk management, support ecosystem restoration and reduce damage from hurricanes and storms.
Additional provisions include policy and process improvements for the Port of Newark and expanded authorization for the Army Corps of Engineers to assist with environmental infrastructure, water quality improvements and stormwater management in the Upper Delaware River Basin across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.
The announcement follows Kean’s efforts to secure federal funding for projects throughout New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District.
In July, Kean announced that he had secured more than $18 million for district projects in House funding bills for the upcoming fiscal year.
That included $3 million for the Passaic River Regional Flooding Mitigation Project, which would address major obstructions in Passaic River tributaries and reinforce streambanks in Berkeley Heights, Long Hill, New Providence, Summit and Chatham Borough.
According to Kean’s office, the proposed work is intended to reduce flooding and soil erosion while improving water quality and protecting surrounding land.
In March 2025, Kean visited a constituent’s home in Summit to observe backyard erosion caused by flooding from Salt Brook.
The Water Resources Development Act passed the House in September. The legislation’s inclusion of project authorizations does not itself mean construction funding has been approved or that work has begun.
