Posted on August 18, 2016
By Eric Hrin, Courier Express
Huston Township supervisors will meet Aug. 24 to discuss engineering and permitting details of a possible flood control project on Bennett Branch, according to a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) official.
They will meet with their consultant, contractor and state officials, according to Daniel Spadoni, community relations coordinator with the DEP Regional Director’s Office in Williamsport.
The meeting will be held at 10 a.m.
Some residents on Irven Lane in Penfield have experienced flooding in the past and are hoping a solution can be found. Bennett Branch and Wilson Run are located in that area.
At the last supervisors meeting, it was noted that an official who will be attending the Aug. 24 meeting will be Darrell Smeal, project manager with the DEP, Waterways and Wetlands, North Central Regional Office.
“The meeting scheduled for August 24, 2016, was actually requested by Huston Township’s municipal engineer, Geo-Tech Engineering,” Smeal said by email, when asked for comment. “Geo-Tech has sought an onsite pre-application meeting to gather administrative and technical guidance from the PA DEP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PA Fish and Boat Commission and Clearfield County Conservation District. Staff from the aforementioned federal, state and local agencies were asked to meet, because township officials have expressed they intend to submit the necessary permit applications seeking federal and state authorization to perform stream stabilization work.”
Smeal continued: “As related by Huston Township officials, the township and Geo-Tech would like agency staff to field review selected stream locations were stream instability has resulted in accumulated deposition (i.e., gravel bar formation). Ultimately, the expectation is that Geo-Tech will develop the appropriate permit application for submission to obtain the respective agency approvals whereby unstable stream sections can be permanently stabilized thereby minimizing or eliminating accumulated sediment deposition at these selected stream locations.”
Spadoni provided some background on the issue.
He noted that a field meeting was held back in May 2015 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state fish and boat commission, the Clearfield County Conservation District and DEP.
It included discussions pertaining to flood control and stream stabilization projects and permitting. Subsequently, Huston Township decided to move forward with an initial in-stream project to address stream bank stabilization and habitat improvement, he noted.
Concerning the upcoming meeting, Spadoni noted, “Huston Township, their municipal engineer (Geo-Tech Engineering) and contractor have requested that all interested resource agency staff attend a field meeting to review and discuss an in-stream structure (GP-1 and/or GP-3 type) project sponsored by the township.” He noted that GP means “General Permit.”
On the agenda of the last township meeting, supervisors noted that the meeting would consist of “reviewing sites for General Permit 1 – rock structures.”
“The Township, Geo-Tech and a local contractor are seeking this meeting with agency staff to gain input for the best possible sites, structure type, structure materials and permit type,” Spadoni said. “Such a project represents a large public investment for consultant and contractor time by the township. Being the first of its type for Huston Township and Geo-Tech, both indicated they would greatly appreciate agency staff insight and input into a type of project and permit that neither the township nor their consultant have experienced.”
Source: Courier Express
