Flash Flood — Burlington, New Jersey

2004-07-12 to 2004-07-13 · near Central Portion, Burlington, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

During the late afternoon and evening of the 12th, thunderstorms with torrential downpours kept on redeveloping along the Interstate 295 corridor in southern Burlington County and moved east. This continued for several hours and resulted in widespread storm totals exceeding 6 inches across most of the Rancocas Creek Basin. A storm total of 13.20 inches was reported in Tabernacle within a 12 hour period and represented a once in a thousand year storm. The excessive rain caused record breaking flash flooding along nearly every stream in the Rancocas Basin and led to the failure or damage of 51 dams in Burlington County. Widespread poor drainage flooding also occurred. The combination of the dam failure and stream flooding led to the evacuation of 760 residents, the destruction of seven homes in Lumberton and Southampton Townships, major flood damage to around 200 homes, flood damage to about 1,000 homes, countless water rescues from vehicles and homes, the closing of 25 major roads including the New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey State Routes 70 and 73, the contamination of drinking water and failure of sewage systems and the serious damage or destruction of fourteen bridges. Hardest hit municipalities included Lumberton, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Pemberton and Southampton all of whom declared states of emergency. The Trenton-Camden High Speed Rail Line suspended service because of flooding along the main stem of the Rancocas Creek. On Friday July 16th, President George W. Bush declared Burlington and neighboring Camden Counties disaster areas. This cleared the way for government grants and low interest loans. Agricultural damage was expected to be in the millions, especially to the cranberry bogs where many retention walls and earthen roads were damaged. Property damage was estimated at fifty million dollars. In spite of all of the record flooding and water rescues, no serious injuries were reported. Rain, heavy at times, fell throughout most of the morning and afternoon on the 12th, but it intensified further late in the afternoon. At the South Jersey Regional Airport in Lumberton New Jersey, torrential downpours began at 507 p.m. EDT and continued until the 945 p.m. EDT observation. During that four hour period 4.45 inches of rain fell. This airport was located along the western edge of the heaviest rain. An automated gage in New Lisbon recorded 5.19 inches of rain within one hour between 715 p.m. and 815 p.m. EDT. While flooding was already occurring, conditions worsened quickly at around 930 p.m. EDT when the Squaw Lake Dam at Camp Ockanickon failed (Medford). This started a domino effect as the Lake Stockwell Dam (Medford) failed, then the Papoose Dam (Medford), the Upper Aetna Lake Dam (Medford Lakes), the Lower Aetna Lake Dam (Medford Lakes) and the Birchwood Lake Dam (Medford) all within 90 minutes. The dam failure exacerbated the ongoing flooding along Haynes Creek and the Southwest Branch of the Rancocas Creek. Downtown Lumberton Township which is just downstream from the confluence of the Southwest and South Branches of the Rancocas Creek was one of the hardest hit areas. In all 44 dams in the county either failed or were damaged. This included eight significant hazard dams that failed mainly in Medford and Medford Lakes. The lakes behind eight damaged dams were ordered lowered for safety reasons. Most of the dams were privately owned. Debris from the lakes was carried as far as one mile downstream as docks, canoes and furniture were swept away. Canoes were found wrapped around trees. About 760 people were evacuated from Lumberton, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Pemberton and Southampton to 10 shelters opened throughout the county. The main shelter at Lenape Regional High School remained opened until the 16th. Two hundred people were still displaced from their homes on the 19th and seventy-five were still displaced on the 27th. Twenty-five main roads were closed during the evening of the 12th. On the next day (13th), fifteen major roadways remained closed including New Jersey State Route 70 in Southampton Township because of a washed away bridge. Nine of the roads were still underwater. One dozen roads were still closed on the 16th. New Jersey State Route 70 was reopened with a temporary bridge on the 19th. Burlington County Route 541 through downtown Lumberton was not reopened until the 30th. Four golf courses were damaged: Golden Pheasant, Medford Lakes, Medford Village and Ramblewood. Mail deliveries were delayed in Medford and Southampton. In southern Burlington County, the flow along the Wading and Batsto Rivers was too dangerous to allow kayaking, canoeing and swimming. Clearance under some bridges was less than one foot. Flooding also closed the historic Batsto Village. A mosquito invasion was feared because of all the additional standing water. In Lumberton Township, about 100 homes and businesses were evacuated along the downtown area (Landing Street and Burlington County Route 541 - Main Street). Landing and Main Streets were under six feet of water from the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek. Burlington County Route 541 remained closed through the 30th as residents were not allowed back to their homes for as long as one week because officials feared electrocution and homes had contaminated water. The township's sewage pump station was underwater during the height of the storm. All the downtown homes were inspected before residents were allowed to return and two were razed because of foundation problems. In Medford Lakes Village, Beach Drive between Lower and Upper Aetna Lakes was destroyed. Lenape Trail near Burlington County Route 541 was washed away. Numerous vehicles were stranded on the road. About a dozen people were rescued from roof tops of vehicles. The village's wastewater treatment plant shut down after a sixty foot long pipe ruptured. Raw sewage from septic systems contaminated the water supply. Residents were asked to not limit water disposal and drink bottled water or boil the tap water before using it. The sewage plant was back on line on the 14th. The Trading Post Way small business district near the base of Lower Aetna Lake was badly damaged. Two homes and two businesses in the village were declared uninhabitable. Even the firehouse was not safe as it was flooded and several of the trucks were damaged. Repairs to the three damaged dams (Lower Aetna, Upper Aetna and Quoque) was expected to cost 7.5 million dollars.In Medford Township, about 200 people were evacuated mainly near the Timber Lake Dam. As a precaution, the lake was drained. Jackson Road was damaged and closed at the base of the failed Birchwood Lake Dam. Flooding along the Southwest Branch of the Rancocas Creek cut the town in half. Many homes had five feet of water in their basements. Farther upstream, a driver who drove into a flooded New Freedom Road was rescued from the roof of one home. Damaged in the township was estimated at between six and eight million dollars. In Southampton Township, flooding along the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek inundated the Vincentown area. About 150 people were evacuated from this area when flood waters toppled two tanks of petroleum and propane from Allen's Oil and Propane Company. A tractor-trailer and three smaller trucks were also submerged. The Coast Guard was called upon to secure the tanks. Homes along Main and Mill Street were evacuated after as much as five feet of water entered them. The water was up to the second floor of a couple of homes. Three homes were declared uninhabitable. U.S. Route 206 was closed for two days after an embankment washed away. Hilliards Road Bridge was closed and expected to be closed for a while after the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek swept it away. The damaging of the Friendship Creek dam led to the destruction of a New Jersey State Route 70 Bridge. This heavily traveled road to the New Jersey Shore was not reopened with a temporary bridge until Monday the 19th. Repairs on this one bridge alone were expected to cost three million dollars. In Mount Laurel Township, flooding was centered around the North Branch of the Pennsauken Creek in the Ramblewood and Countryside sections of the township. About 200 people were evacuated centered around Haines Court and Saint Andres Drive. About 500 homes were flooded, two homes suffered structural damage. Two fire trucks were damaged after they became stuck in rising flood waters on Saint Andrews Drive. About 30 acres of Ramblewood Country Club was under water and the White Course was badly damaged. Parker Creek also flooded in the township and forced the closure of a couple of roads. In Pemberton Township, about 100 people were evacuated after fear that the Oregon Dam on Jefferson Lake would fail along the Bisphams Mill Creek. The evacuation was lifted on the 15th. Both Magnolia and Birmingham Roads were closed. In Evesham Township, many homes flooded near Union Mill Lake. Two of the three wastewater plants in the township were overtaxed and dumped raw sewage into branches of the Pennsauken and Rancocas Creeks. Flooding at the Elmwood Drive water plant submerged well number six under three feet of storm water compromised the township's drinking water. The water was deemed safe on the 14th. In Maple Shade Township, New Jersey State Route 73 was closed into the 14th. This forced the closure of Interchange 4 on the New Jersey Turnpike. About 22 units of the Stoney Run Apartments were flooded by the North Branch of the Pennsauken Creek. In Hainesport Township, a 55-year-old man was rescued from the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek after a watercraft he was within tipped. A couple of roads were closed around Masons Creek. In Tabernacle Township, most of the damage occurred to the crops including the cranberries and peaches. The North Branch of the Rancocas Creek at Pemberton was above its 2.7 foot flood stage from 115 a.m. EDT on the 13th through 429 p.m. EDT on the 16th. It crested at 4.20 feet at 300 a.m. EDT on the 14th. It was the second highest crest ever for the creek only barely surpassed (4.23 feet) on August 21, 1939. The South Branch of the Rancocas Creek in Vincentown crested at a record breaking 12.34 feet at 815 a.m. EDT on the 13th, 4.36 feet higher than the previous record in August 28, 1971. The McDonalds Branch in Lebanon State Forest tied its record crest of 2.33 feet. The Greenwood Branch at New Lisbon had a record breaking crest of 8.91 feet at 1130 p.m. EDT on the 13th. Specific storm totals included 13.20 inches in Tabernacle, 11.23 inches in New Lisbon, 10.71 inches also in New Lisbon, 7.50 inches in Lumberton, 7.26 inches in Medford, 6.39 inches in Mount Laurel, 6.17 inches at the McGuire Air Force Base, 5.80 inches in Mount Holly, 4.44 inches in Wrightstown, 4.21 inches in Westampton and 3.90 inches in Willingboro. The thunderstorms developed north of a nearly stationary warm front throughout the day, but intensified and went over the same locations during the late afternoon and evening of the 12th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5422179. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.