Pennsylvania DCED Announces $34 Million Investment in Flood Control Projects

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) has approved $34 million through the H2O PA program for the construction and repair of flood control systems in five counties.

"Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee brought powerful reminders of the damage and destruction that flooding can bring to communities," Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker said. "These investments will be a great help to cash-strapped municipalities needing to upgrade their aging and deteriorating flood-control systems."

Projects that involve the construction, improvement, repair, or rehabilitation of all or part of a flood-control system are eligible to apply for H2O PA funding. Flood-control projects include channel improvements, compacted earth levees, concrete channels, concrete floodwalls, detention dams, non-structural measures, or any combination of these project types. Major repairs or rehabilitation of an existing flood protection project are also eligible for funding.

Administered by the CFA, H2O PA provides grants for flood control projects, construction of drinking water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer projects and high-hazard or unsafe dam projects.

For more information about the H2O PA program and other economic development initiatives in Pennsylvania, call 1-866-466-3972 or visit newPA.com.

Media contacts:  Steven Kratz, 717-783-1132

Editor's Note: The Flood Control projects below were approved by the CFA:

Bradford County

Athens Borough will receive $452,466 of H2O PA funding to repair the Chemung River Levee that sustained substantial damage as a result of the Sept. 8, 2011 flooding from Tropical Storm Lee. The levee, which protects a large number of homes and businesses, will be excavated and restored to its pre-storm condition.    

Cameron County

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will receive $18 million of H2O PA funding to rehabilitate the George B. Stevenson dam, situated on the First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek in Grove Township. DCNR will construct a grout curtain ad concrete cutoff wall to eliminate or greatly reduce the amount of seepage through the rock formation of the dam.

Clearfield County

Irvona Borough will receive $860,889 of H2O PA funding to rehabilitate six deteriorated drainage structures and to remove two closure structures, greatly reducing flooding and eliminating the need of building a sandbag closure structure during times of high flood forecasts. The project will allow an extension of another 50 years of service life to the levee system that was originally built in 1962.

Montour County

Danville Borough will receive $3.15 million of H2O PA funding to support an existing DEP Flood Protection project on the Mahoning Creek.  The funds will be utilized to construct two closure structures that will connect to the existing flood control levee and floodwall system. Currently, sand bags are placed by hand to close these openings. Prior to the ongoing flood protection project, a school, wastewater treatment plant and numerous businesses flooded during five major storms since 1972.

Montgomery County

Upper Dublin Township will receive $11.8 million of H2O PA funding to construct two dry impoundment dams; one on Rapp Run and one on Pine Run. Both locations are upstream of commercial infrastructure which receives regular flooding that has resulted in one death and an estimated $11.2 million of damage claims paid between 1978 and 2007.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development