Flood Protection Grants Given to Local Towns

Pennsylvania gave nearly $1 million yesterday to municipalities across the state for flood protection, including several boroughs and cities in the Pittsburgh area.

Jeannette will get about $128,000 for water rescue equipment, an emergency generator, and maintenance costs.

Almost $68,000 will go to Johnstown, including nearly $50,000 for a tractor that will clear the “knot weed” growth that congests local waterways. That city was the site of a historic 1889 flood that killed more than 2,200 people.

Somerset Borough will receive $32,500 to reestablish Coxes Creek, a waterway that has become clogged with silt and vegetation. Borough spokeswoman Michelle Enos says Somerset will also install “riprap” – large stones meant to keep water flowing by lining the walls of streams and blocking plant growth.

“To try to control and eventually eliminate any vegetation that acts as an impediment to the stream, we add riprap,” says Enos.

$30,847 in grants will also be given to Kittanning Borough to replace and repair a floodwall and to clear vegetation.