Flooding Damage Repairs Progressing In Lower Makefield Twp.

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA —Two months after flash flooding caused damage to roads and homes, the township is making some headway on repairs.

Township Manager David Kratzer said that restoration work at 18 and 20 Maplevale and repairs to the bank of the Delaware Canal have been completed.

The township continues to perform vegetation management adjacent to the unnamed tributary that crested its banks as a result of the storm where the tributary is located on township-owned properties and/or within the right-of-way, Kratzer said.

On July 15, a fast-moving storm dumped six inches of rain on the township, causing flash flooding that damaged homes and claimed the lives of six people in nearby Upper Makefield Township.

Since that storm, the township has held special meetings with residents in the Maplevale neighborhood to provide updates and hear concerns.

Residents have expressed frustration with the repair process, especially on the state level.

Kratzer said the township has hired Land Studies, an environmental consulting firm based in Lititz, to perform a conditions assessment along the entire sketch of the same unnamed tributary to look for opportunities to address upstream conditions.

As part of their scope of work, a community listening/information gathering session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the LMT Community Center.

He anticipates that Land Studies will complete their work by November/December.

The township also has scheduled a pre-application meeting with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers on Oct. 12 to discuss permitting requirements and process for additional sediment removal from the same unnamed tributary.

He said the township's engineer is finalizing the design for the previously contemplated Phase 2 of the Maplevale Storm Water Management Project, which may result in an expanded scope of work.

But while the township continues to discuss partnership and funding opportunities with state agencies, he said there's been no update from PEMA or FEMA regarding public or individual assistance.