Date: May 29, 2025
The Center for Natural Resources (CNR) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology met with representatives from the Borough of Leonia at the Leonia United Methodist Church to discuss local flooding issues, stormwater management challenges, and opportunities to support mitigation efforts through the REACH (Resilience Excellence and Capacity Hub) program.
The meeting focused on understanding site-specific flooding conditions around the church property and surrounding neighborhoods, identifying priority areas for action, and exploring collaborative strategies to enhance community preparedness and resilience.
Through REACH, CNR works with municipalities like Leonia to integrate science-based analysis into local planning, stormwater strategy development, and decision making.
Left to Right: Jaeyoung Jang (Municipal Engineer), Christoph Hesterbrink (Councilman), Marisa Mesropian(Borough Administrator), Bill Ziegler (Mayor), Dr. Michel Boufadel 
Stormwater pumping equipment used during the CNR and Leonia field visit to inspect local drainage infrastructure and flooding concerns near the church property.
REACH | Resilience Excellence and Capacity Hub 