The Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved nearly $33.5 million through the H2O PA program to fund the construction and repair of flood control projects that will impact more than 270 businesses and 5,200 residents in three counties.

“Although Pennsylvania was very fortunate, Superstorm Sandy brought powerful reminders of the damage and destruction that flooding can bring to communities,” Gov. Tom Corbett said.  “Today’s investments proactively help protect businesses and residents from the devastation that nature can bring.”

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.

One of the projects approved today will award nearly $11.9 million to Columbia County to design and construct floodwall systems that will help to prevent flooding at two of Bloomsburg’s largest businesses that employ 930 workers.

The funding will be used to construct a steel sheet pile flood wall system for the Autoneum North American plant and a concrete flood wall system to protect the Windsor Foods manufacturing facility.  The two companies, which are located within the FEMA 100-year flood plain, sustained more than $67 million in damage from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

The Borough of Patton will receive a $936,100 H2O PA grant to replace seven drainage structures through an existing earthen levee system along Chest Creek and Flannigan Run in Cambria County.  The corrugated metal pipes in the drainage structures will be replaced to restore the system’s integrity and return the project to an acceptable rating.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will receive an $8.8 million H2O PA grant to complete repairs to the Pymatuning Dam in South Shenango Township in Crawford County. 

The remediation project will extend the service life of the dam by replacing the control tower, completing concrete repairs to the auxiliary spillway, and repaving the access road.  Failure of the control tower could cause an uncontrolled release of water, possibly effecting 1,312 permanent inhabited structures and businesses and approximately 3,587 residents. 

Also in Crawford County, the Fish and Boat Commission will receive nearly $11.9 million in H2O PA grant funding to make repairs to the seepage around the outlet conduit and remediate the spillway capacity at the Tamarack Dam in Meadville City.

This remediation project will extend the service life of both embankments on the Tamarack Dam and provide flood protection along Mill Run, Mud Run, and Sugar Creek which impacts 1,645 residents, 270 businesses and one school.

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, visit the CFA webpage.

11/19/2012