Floodplains Still Need Attention

Posted on 26 March, 2010

Westmoreland Conservation District can help municipalities

Greensburg, PA – We certainly dodged a very big bullet when the deep winter snows melted without causing major flooding of local homes and businesses.

But the scare of what-could-have-been can still provide a very good reason for area municipalities to take a close look at the floodplains in their communities. These low-lying parcels of ground, often close to creeks and streams, are highly susceptible to flooding.

About 5% of the land in Westmoreland County is designated by the federal government to be in the “100-year floodplain.” This means that these places are expected to be flooded during a very large storm. And any homes, businesses, or community facilities built there are likely to suffer damage.

Municipalities can protect their communities from flooding by adopting and enforcing regulations – such as codes or ordinances – that provide a standard for how the land in floodplain areas is used and developed.

A community’s agreement to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations, particularly in regard to new construction, is important in making flood insurance available to home- and business-owners (see www.floodsmart.gov, the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program, a federally-funded resource for flood victims, for information on coverage and how to obtain flood insurance).

The Westmoreland Conservation District is available to work with area municipalities to monitor and manage their floodplains.

The District also offers links to a number of helpful publications, maps, and other resources on the subject of flooding on its website, www.wcdpa.com. Hard copies of many of these resources also are available in its library, located at 218 Donohoe Road, Greensburg. The library is free-of-charge and open to the public during District business hours, which normally are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Jim Pillsbury, hydraulic engineer, Westmoreland Conservation District.

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