Mayor Derek Slaughter said he remains keen on continuing the process toward the levee recertification and accreditation and flood mitigation along Grafius Run in 2024.

During a recent video interview, Slaughter was asked about the levee and the efforts to reduce the amount of flooding of streets and properties when Grafius Run overflows its banks.

In terms of the levee project, which began over 12 years ago, the city continues to meet with the Army Corps of Engineers and local, state and federal officials, he said.

The project was the recipient of an $8 million federal government earmark due to the work done by consultant Tom Keller and Keller and Partners and Co. in Washington, D.C.

It is such a large sum of earmarked funds that Tracey Rash, a finance consultant and manager of Government Finance Solutions, urged City Council during the budget discussion to consider it as one reason to place money into the budget to hire a grant writer/administrator in-house.

The levee protects $4 billion to $5 billion in real estate assets in Greater Williamsport, to include the city, South Williamsport, Loyalsock Township and Old Lycoming Township, according to the county planning department.

The levee must be strengthened and improved in areas to be recertified and prevent individuals protected by it from having to pay untenable flood insurance costs.

Former state Rep. Fred Keller, R-Kreamer, was instrumental in keeping the levee project at the forefront of priorities for his district. Along with Keller, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, also places a high priority on what is the second largest levee system in the Baltimore Corps district.

Slaughter has gone to several Washington, D.C. conferences with lobbyists and consultants and legislative teams along with the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure the levee project gets recertified and accredited so, as he put it, “it doesn’t cause flood insurance premiums to go through the roof.”

It also will be a project – that is far from complete but on its way – that will provide solace and assurance for future generations that will not have to invest millions in maintenance costs once the pump stations, relief wells, cross pipes and other levee structural improvements are completed.

In terms of the maligned Grafius Run, the city administration has installed sensors, which monitor the flow and rise of water, Slaughter said.

The sensors also can notify public works employees on phones and computers to give warning about the water and volume levels if the run starts to rise quickly. In that way, employees can man the heavy equipment necessary to prevent roads from being flooded and properties from being damaged.

Council had updates from various engineers on the proposed automated trash racks at the locations where the run flows into the city from Loyalsock Township causing the racks to clog and the water to cascade up and over the banks.

The proposed automatic trash racks would operate to remove any debris that would be otherwise stuck and cause water from heavy rains to cause the run to overflow its banks and penetrate the existing older underground infrastructure and get into the streets.