Officials gathered along the Wyoming Valley Levee in Wilkes-Barre Monday to acknowledge receipt of $200,000 in emergency funding to stop erosion that threatened the flood control system.
Soil and rock have been sliding downhill at the site along the Susquehanna River near Norfolk Southern’s Black Diamond railroad bridge. A $715,000 project is underway to replace dirt with large stone rip-rap to restore stability to the bank.
The project is expected to be completed in five weeks, according to the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the levee.
State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Dunmore, and state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, each helped to secure $100,000 toward the project.
During Monday’s site visit, county Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Laura Holbrook thanked attendees Pashinski and Brian Doughton, Flynn’s district director, saying the authority needed the funding to help pay for the project.
Pashinski recalled his time sandbagging during the devastating 1972 Agnes flood and gestured at the flood wall, saying it has prevented destruction.
“Sometimes people forget,” Pashinski said, adding that legislators must “do what we can to protect people.”
Doughton said the safety of residents is a top priority for Flynn.
Authority Board Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi also expressed gratitude for the funding, saying the levee system protects the Wyoming Valley.
“It’s here to stay,” he said, looking at the wall before him.
Authority Board member Jay Delaney, who is Wilkes-Barre’s fire chief, said the levee held up in September 2011, when the Susquehanna swelled to a record 42.66 feet during Tropical Storm Lee. The water was so high, Delaney recalled being able to reach over the levee and touch it.
Residents protected by the levee were evacuated as a precaution when the river rose, he said.
Delaney said he was making those points to let people know the project is important and “not cosmetic.”
Holbrook commended Wilkes-Barre Mayor George C. Brown, also in attendance Monday, for his endorsement of the project.
Brown said the levee is vital to South Wilkes-Barre and the city as a whole and added he “can’t say enough good things” about the flood authority and its work to maintain the flood control system.
Pashinski noted the collective gratitude.
“It takes a team,” he said.
The 16-mile levee system protects approximately 15,000 properties in parts of Exeter, Wyoming, West Wyoming, Forty Fort, Luzerne, Pringle, Edwardsville, Plymouth, Swoyersville, Kingston, Hanover Township, and Wilkes-Barre. It safeguards more than 100,000 residents and has prevented an estimated $7.5 billion in flood damage since 1968.
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.