Westmoreland County Approves Integrated Water Resources Plan To Address Stormwater, Reduce Flooding, Other Water Issues
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On July 25, Westmoreland County Commissioners approved an Integrated Water Resources Plan for the County that will serve as a blueprint for managing the county’s streams, rivers, drinking water, stormwater, and other water resources.

One major goal of the plan is to reduce flooding and better manage stormwater in the county.

Officials said there have been as many as 200 incidents of flooding in Westmoreland County since 2012. About 5% of county residents live in a flood plain and more than 9,000 people reside in areas that could experience a catastrophic flood event every century.

Westmoreland County has more than 2,300 miles of waterways, including wetlands, groundwater and floodplains.

Westmoreland County Commissioners signed a resolution to begin the IWRP planning process in December 2015 to start a process that looked deeply into the ways water is used throughout Westmoreland County, the impacts of those uses and some of the things that can be done to ensure that this important resource is responsibly managed.

The following year saw the creation of the Watershed Plan Advisory Committee led by the District to guide the development of the plan.

An engineering consultant, Ethos Collaborative LLC, was hired to model 10 priority watershed areas of interest within the county identified in Phase 1 of the County’s Act 167 Plan completed by L. Robert Kimball and Associates in 2010.

As the IWRP progressed, the District, its partners, and the WPAC, completed the inventory, analysis, and creation of the plan, the watershed modeling, development of the model stormwater ordinance, and the online decision making tool for anyone seeking to develop land within the county related to our water resources.

The Westmoreland County IWRP will be updated as needed to meet future needs to sustain our water resources.

For more information, visit Westmoreland County’s Integrated Water Resources Plan website.

NewsClips:

Westmoreland Approves Stormwater Management Plan

Western PA Communities Face Costly Repairs After Floods

Recent Flooding Forces Plum’s Monday Market To Change Location

Lycoming County Declares Emergency Due To Courthouse Flooding

Residents Rescued As Flash Flooding Strikes Pittsburgh Region

Flooding Causes Widespread Damage In Eastern Allegheny County

Rain Hits Penn Hills, Plum Unusually Hard Causing Widespread Damage

Plum Offers Help For Residents With Flood Damage

Storms Have Residents Cleaning Up After Yet Another Round Of Flooding

Stormy Lehigh Valley Endures Flooded Roads, Downed Trees

Storms Leave More Than 35,000 Without Power In Bucks County

Trees In Mill Creek Cause Flooding Concerns In Wilkes-Barre Neighborhood

Storms Break Heat Grip, Thousands Without Power In Southeast

Scranton May Contract With Firm For Regional Approach To Reduce Stormwater Pollution

Editorial: To Manage Stormwater Regional Approach Needed In Lackawanna

Shenango River A Rough Ride This Year

Sinkholes Caused By Collapsing Water, Sewer Lines Popping Up In Williamsport

Related Article:

Montour Run Watershed Assn. Reports New Milk Run Abandoned Mine Water Treatment Plant Now Treating Water In Allegheny County

[Posted: July 26, 2019]


7/29/2019

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