Critical upgrades to the Greater Williamsport Levee System will not only protect properties but will also keep down the cost of flood insurance.
"It's a comprehensive, holistic approach that has to be done," said Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter.
Slaughter joined U.S. Sen Bob Casey inside the city’s Hepburn Street Pump Station along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Casey was in town to celebrate $8 million in federal community project funding that will go towards improving the levee system.
The federal funding, along with money from the city, Lycoming County and the state will go towards rehabilitating pipes, electrical upgrades at all pump stations and raising the levee and flood walls along Lycoming Creek. Surrounding communities, including: South Williamsport, Loyalsock and Old Lycoming Twp., also benefit from the levee’s flood protection
"Without all of us being on the same page, this work would not be possible," said Slaughter.
The latest engineering methods and climate data will be used to make the upgrades, he said.
"To ensure and improve flood protection will be provided to these communities now and well into the future," Slaughter said.
The upgrades will create jobs both in the short and long term as well as economic growth, said Casey.
"Maybe, most important, this is about peace of mind, the peace of mind to know that in a community there is a measure of protection that only a levee can bring," he said.
The levee is the second largest flood control system of its kind in Pennsylvania. It was constructed in the 50s, then upgraded after Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, said Slaughter.
It’s been 50 years since its last update and standards have changed, he said. The levee has to meet the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program. It needs to be recertified and reassessed by both the Federal and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agencies.
Lieutenant Colonel David Myers, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, was at the press conference. He said the two levee systems with a combined length of 11 miles help protect 12,000 residents and thousands of homes and businesses. They reduce the risk of at least a billion dollars in damage.
Representatives from the area have been making the case for the project for years but the funding was only recently available, said Casey.
City officials have already started upgrading the system. Williamsport Council is expected to discuss designs for relief walls at Thursday's meeting.
The process will take more than a few years and upwards of $20 million, the mayor said.
