Barletta Joins State Senator Gordner, State Rep. Millard to Announce Bloomsburg Flood Wall Grant

BLOOMSBURG – Today, Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) gave remarks at a press conference held by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to announce a $10.75 million grant for the Bloomsburg Flood Wall Project.  The city of Bloomsburg will use this funding to add two new storm water pumping stations to the original flood wall project and upgrade the sewer system.  These improvements will benefit over 100 homes, a shopping center, the Bloomsburg Middle School and High School, several businesses, and the Bloomsburg Fire Station.  Additional speakers at the event included DCED Secretary Dennis Davin, Senator John R. Gordner, Representative David R. Millard, and Bill Kreisher from the Bloomsburg Town Council.

“Flooding of the Susquehanna River and Fishing Creek is a persistent, direct threat to the residents and businesses of Bloomsburg,” said Barletta, “a threat I’ve been working to eliminate for nearly eight years in Congress.  I saw firsthand how Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee ruined lives, destroying homes and putting employers out of business.  The people of Bloomsburg have suffered enough.  This additional funding for the Bloomsburg flood wall will help ensure businesses continue to thrive and grow, students are able to pursue their educations, and homes won’t need to be rebuilt when the next disaster hits.”

Barletta spearheaded efforts to secure funding for the original flood wall project, which protects hundreds of jobs for Columbia County residents.  In November 2011, Barletta brought then Speaker of the House John Boehner up from Washington, D.C. to tour the damage in Bloomsburg.  Barletta has also sent numerous letters of support on behalf of the project.  Most recently, in July 2017, he asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reallocate Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funding, which is provided to the states by the federal government, so that it could be used for this new project. 

Bloomsburg residents have expressed a need for flood protection since Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and in many cases, years before that.  According to a 2005 study commissioned by United States Army Corps of Engineers, average annual urban damages from flooding in Bloomsburg exceed $4.5 million.  Floods disrupt local businesses, educational centers, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and utility providers.  Flooding can also compromise critical infrastructure of the town, including its drinking water, sewer services, road networks, and overall transportation systems.

At one mile long and up to 16 feet high, the Bloomsburg Flood Wall is the largest public works project in the history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, resting over a foot above flooding from 2011’s Tropical Storm Lee, the highest flood on record, and standing three feet higher than 1972’s Hurricane Agnes. 

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