On a lagoon lot, the low parts of the plumbing take the hits

This story sticks to what water did to these neighborhoods and which rules govern what sits below the flood level.

How high did water reach in Sandy?

High enough to reach anything low. Sandy came ashore near Brigantine on October 29, 2012. The National Hurricane Center's report puts Ocean County's storm tide at 3 to 5 feet over the ground, and water reached as much as 4 or 5 feet in Tuckerton and on Long Beach Island. A Coast Guard helicopter photographed Tuckerton the next day, with a block of houses and boats ringed by water.

Mystic Island shows the response. FEMA photographed townhouses there on February 6, 2013, and says their repairs after the storm included elevating utilities, with air-conditioning units and meters set on raised stands.

What is allowed below the flood level?

Very little. The federal floodplain rule, 44 CFR 60.3(c)(5), limits an enclosure under the lowest floor to parking, access and storage. A FEMA advisory, written for Iowa in 2016, keeps appliances, heating and cooling gear and plumbing fixtures above the base flood elevation, or BFE. FEMA's coastal manual, P-499, says much the same of utilities and finished enclosures below its design flood elevation. Our story on what changed under raised houses follows this further.

Your flood elevation and local requirements under New Jersey's own flood rules are questions for the town's floodplain office. Your survey or elevation certificate will help with that conversation.

Why does the sewer lateral get special attention?

Because it connects the house directly to the wet ground around it. FEMA P-348 describes waste piping as a path for floodwater, with a lateral valve as one answer. Our story on backwater valves covers the types and the permit question. The valve only applies to a house on sewer, so a lagoon lot on a tank and field should read about septic after a flood instead.

Where does the utility's pipe stop?

It depends on the system, and few publish it plainly. Stafford Township does: its crews look after mains as far as the curb stop or meter pit, and the rest is the owner's (archived copy). Our brief on the curb stop and meter pit explains how to use that. Do not operate anything in the street. Find the shutoff inside your house, and make sure everyone at home knows it.

Ask your plumber to show you where the water service line runs and where it is exposed.

What does a service line inventory tell you?

It tells you what your utility has on record about the line to your house. New Jersey's lead service line law, P.L.2021 c.183, calls for written notice to owners and tenants on what the line is made of, and it encourages replacement of lead lines within 10 years (archived copy). In Beach Haven West, ask Stafford's water department what the 2025 inventory lists for your address. Our brief on lead service lines has the first steps.

What should a lagoon owner ask?

• Is this address on sewer or septic, and who owns the lateral?
• Where does my responsibility for the water line begin?
• What does the service line inventory show here?
• What is the flood elevation at this lot, and what equipment sits below it?
• Does anything in the enclosure need moving, and what permit would it take?
• Where is the indoor shutoff, and who else knows?

Keep the answers with your elevation paperwork. After a flood is a poor time to look for them.