Flood Meeting Scheduled for November 14th

Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague will convene a community input meeting on floodplain planning in Downingtown Borough and Caln Township on November 14, 2024, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company, 3611 East Lincoln Highway, Thorndale, PA. 19372,

Two grants are under consideration. The Borough will apply for a grant that involves modeling potential flood prevention projects along the Brandywine and Beaver Creek to create the best mitigation. The grant will also provide a scenario analysis to outline all projects and determine the best combination for the community. Comprehensive flood control measures are essential for minimizing the adverse impacts of floods. These measures involve a combination of structural and non-structural approaches to manage flood risks effectively. Establishing a cohesive approach to flood mitigation involves several key steps and could encompass both structural and non-structural measures.

The study will also allocate some of the planning dollars to enact a Flood Community Rating System (CRS), which would lower homeowner flood insurance payments by 25% to ensure affordability for low to moderate-income housing.

The Downingtown Resilience Fund will seek a Local District Development Grant of up to $5,000, and the homeowner match of up to $5,000—applications of interest for the grant will be available at the meeting. “We want to award $5,000 to 100 houses in the Downingtown/Caln Flood Plain. Projects include new windows, doors, roofs, and flood resilience,” Downingtown Mayor Phil Dague stated.

Dague outlined that the two grants would be the first step in reducing flooding in Downingtown Borough and Caln Township. “We need to address the issues relating to the Beaver Creek confluence with the Brandywine and move the water through more quickly. We will seek to improve water quality by creating wetlands, increasing storage capacity, and reducing flooding,” he said.

Soil berms or elevation changes, which are vertical barriers similar to levees, will be considered structural measures. They are typically used in urban areas to protect infrastructure from floodwaters. Channel improvements, which involve modifying Beaver Creek channels to increase their capacity to carry floodwaters, will also be examined. These can include widening, deepening, creating wetlands, or straightening riverbanks.