Chilly rain didn’t stop members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration from taking a stroll along Loyalsock Creek to talk about the impact of flooding.

Marcus Kohl, state Department of Environmental Protection northcentral regional director, hosted the creek tour to explore how Restore Pennsylvania’s funding for flood mitigation could help prevent future damage.

Restore Pennsylvania is “an aggressive plan to address the commonwealth’s vital infrastructure needs, including flood control,” according to a recent press release.

Kohl acknowledged the toll massive amounts of rainfall and flooding have taken on the central Pennsylvania region, with Lycoming County seeing significant flood damage in 2016 and 2018.

“We’ve had numerous floods, and quite frankly, as the governor has put it, ‘My staff has gone out and dealt with the folks who’s lives have been turned over and impacted by that. We’ve said that we’re sorry way too many times and it’s time to do something,’ ” said Kohl.

Kohl described Restore Pennsylvania as a program to provide aid to areas heavily effected by flood and watershed damage.

“What this does is really fast ­track a lot of improvements and do some really positive things,” said Kohl.

While this program could provide much needed assistance to affected areas, the question of money is one citizens may be concerned over.

Restore Pennsylvania would invest $4.5 billion in programs to assist rural areas with issues such as flooding concerns, and establish a fund that would aid residents who may not qualify for national relief programs, focusing on localized assistance, Kohl said.

Program funds would come from a severance tax, a state tax imposed on the extraction of non-renewable natural resources that are intended for consumption in other states, he said.

“The governor is proposing that it be funded by a severance tax, which is certainly something that would repay the bond debt that we would take on for the $4.5 billion,” said Kohl.

Although Restore Pennsylvania has a clear plan of action, there are still steps needed to be taken to officially put the program into use, according to Kohl.

The program, a bipartisan supported bill, has not been introduced to the senate floor, which is the “next step”, according to Kohl.

“There’s going to be a lot of legislative debate, I imagine, for a program of this magnitude. There are going to be various opinions and good ideas thrown out there,” explains Kohl.

“There is going to be some debate on the funding source itself, because it’s not a terribly popular idea in this area. But what we [at the DEP] have been emphasizing, a something I find very true, is that there is a clear need, so now the next step is to find that solution.”

According to Kohl, the program is not on a specified timeline as of now due to it having yet to be introduced. However, Governor Wolf has separated the program from the state budget, making it a stand-alone issue, hoping this will fast track its implementation, hopefully within the next year, according to Kohl.

In addition, Kohl emphasized the DEP’s current role in flood recovery, which already has several funding programs to assist with flood recovery. While Kohl describes the regional role of the DEP is to help with smaller forms of recovery to “get peoples lives back on track,” such as property and road clearing, they do not shy away from much larger projects.

“We have a dam safety program that would develop these large-scale projects, like the levy in Williamsport,” he said. “We have a stream improvement program that is currently funded at $500,000 a year.

“But as can be seen in some of these projects, half a million dollars does not go very far. But it is an intact program that we can easily infuse a lot of money into so we can get this money out and into the hands of Pennsylvania and make improvements for Pennsylvania citizens.”

Kohl advised local residents on what they can do to assist with water quality restorative efforts without the DEP’s involvement.

“There are things such as woody debris, which doesn’t require any authorization from the department to get it out, as long as you can do it from the bank without having to take any equipment in there. In the event that you do need to take equipment in there, we can handle that through the emergency permitting process which is a really quick process that allows us to help people get their lives back in order,” said Kohl.

While Restore Pennsylvania may still be a year or more away from implementation, Kohl is optimistic of the impact it will have on waterways and areas that surround them.

“I think Restore Pennsylvania is a really great solution for flooding and also will address mass transit and rural broadband,” said Kohl.

“Overall, it’s a really positive and quick way to get Pennsylvania moving on both protecting it’s citizens and improving the lives of its citizens.”