On November 20 Pike, Monroe and Wayne counties will hold a Stormwater/Flood Summit to help elected officials and the public better understand stormwater and flooding issues and solutions in these northeast counties.

November 2006, June 2006, April 2005,September 2004 . . . If you are an electedofficial, or have any association with emergency response, then these dateshave true meaning to you.

They represent a painful reminder of long daysand nights, great loss of property,concern over water quality issues, andsignificant public outcry; all a consequence of the swelling waters fromour local streams and rivers.

Flooding events cause us to reflect on past decisions, providing us theunfortunate opportunity to see that stormwater management and floodplainmanagement are critical to the prevention of property damage and casualtiescaused by floods.

This Stormwater/Flood Summit will lead decision-makers through the history ofdevelopment and how development decisions affect stream dynamics. It willexplain watershed and stream characteristics in a way that will helpcommunicate how decisions being made influence their function.

The afternoon sessions are dedicated to talking about the realities of stormwaterand floodplain management, flooding,damages and repair costs, and apresentation of existing tools available to decision-makers, explaining how thosetools can be used.

All of this sets the stage for each attendee to participate in aroundtable to help identify types of information, tools and resources neededto enable officials, agencies and landowners to be proactive.

Funding for this program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grantfrom the Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act,administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information, download the Stormwater/Flood Summit brochure.

10/17/2008