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After more than a decade of waiting, about 100 Marietta residents got a peek at plans Wednesday to construct a two-mile, $3 million to $6 million levee system that would protect their town from Susquehanna River flooding.
Now, the decision about whether to construct the levee rests in the hands of borough officials, council member Kasey Barninger said Wednesday. She said the vote is scheduled for the council meeting Sept. 9.
"We're glad the engineers came and made their presentation," said Barninger after the town-hall style meeting. "Now, it's up to us to listen to the residents' views and take into consideration what's best for our town in the long run."
Held in the Pioneer Fire Company headquarters along North Waterford Avenue — and interrupted when fire company volunteers dashed out to answer an emergency call — the meeting was organized by the state Department of Environmental Protection and led by DEP engineers Andrew Reed and Douglas Hill.
The levee system would involve laying about 10,500 feet of landfill-like liner on the part of the railroad embankment that faces the Susquehanna River.
That barrier, he said, would be protected by additional layers of rock and sand, as well as a 3-foot high vinyl wall at the crest of the railroad embankment.
A downstream tie-off levee — made of compacted earth — would be built around the east side of the Marietta/East Donegal Township Sewer Authority's wastewater treatment plant, leaving the historic Vesta Furnace area untouched. An upstream tie-off levee would be built near the fence line of the Armstrong World Industries building and provide flood protection to the western side of Marietta Borough.
Reed said the project would require reconstruction of the borough's storm water drainage system by consolidating 32 pipes into 12 and construction of a 700-foot-long concrete culvert and trash rack on Evans Run from Market Street downstream to the railroad embankment.
The project, Reed said, could take three years to complete, "though it would most likely be longer," he said. "The timeline … is driven by how long it would take to obtain easements."As part of the agreement to build the levee, Reed said DEP would provide funding to cover construction costs, obtain all federal and state permits and handle the bidding process to get contractors. DEP also would be responsible for requesting additional funds for the project through the state's capital budget as well as preparing the project's final drawings and specifications.
Meanwhile, Marietta Borough — if it approves the levee system in September — would be responsible to secure all easements and obtain a licensing agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway. The borough also would be responsible for performing annual maintenance on the structure and assist with future state inspections.
About 100 residents attended the meeting. They asked questions about access to the Susquehanna River, possible train derailments, burrowing groundhogs and the impact on the proposed Northwest River Trail.
The majority expressed concerns about the economic impact of building the levee and if the levee system would stop flooding.
"What I want to know is, will our taxes go up?" resident Myrtle Smith said.
Hill said, "That is a local issue."
"It seems like just a month ago we were seeing the levees burst during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and then all those levees breaking during flooding in the Midwest this summer," resident Glen Maises said. "What I want to know is, will this levee protect the town?"
Hill said the levee was being designed to handle "up to a 100-year flood."
(171) (124) (103) (73) (48) (17) (9) (6) (4) (4)"Not all these projects are bad," Reed said.
Hill said, "Not all those levees you see on the news are designed like this one."
