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Flood Abatement Help On The Way To The Wildwoods

WILDWOOD, NJ (CBS) -- Some 22 million dollars of federal relief money from Superstorm Sandy is going to help remediate flooding in parts of Wildwood and North Wildwood.

The grants will fund projects that will reduce storm problems in the Hereford inlet section along New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood and along Pacific Avenue in Wildwood.

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"Both projects will significantly reduce flooding and flood damage that has plagued the residents of these towns for years," New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin told KYW Newsradio.

"This will also help lower the anxiety of communities that live in these areas that have to deal with this every time there is flooding or flood events coming through."

Better drainage systems, paired with a new pumping station, should address those concerns long term.

This work has been on the to-do list of Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano for almost 20 years. "When you live in the middle of a town in the middle of an island and you can't get flood insurance because of repetitive flood loss, there's something wrong with that picture," Troiano said.

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Both towns will coordinate the actual work, which should start next year. Hopes are to have it finished by the summer of 2018, with promises to keep the impact on tourists during construction to a minimum.

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