Flood protection project for Wysox's commercial district to start

BY JAMES LOEWENSTEIN (Staff Writer)
Published: February 9, 2012

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Submitted photo Gravel bars, such as this one below a railroad bridge off CraftMaster Road, will be removed as part of project aimed at preventing flooding along U.S. Route 6 in Wysox Township.

WYSOX TOWNSHIP - A project to clean debris and gravel bars from Laning Creek, which is aimed at preventing another devastating flood in the commercial area of U.S. Route 6 in Wysox Township, is about to get under way.

"Businesses along Route 6 spent a tremendous amount of money on reconstruction" of their businesses after the flooding that occurred during Tropical Storm Lee "and we're trying to make sure it doesn't happen again," said Jim Good, who is a co-owner of Arey Building Supply in Wysox and who has spearheaded the stream restoration project.

Work on the first phase of the project is scheduled to get under way next week, Good said.

There were several places where the stream bank was breached during the flooding, and those places will be armored with large blocks of stone, he said.

"We're armoring the stream bank - restoring it so that it does not fail" in the future, said Brian Davis, co-owner of KBD Excavating of Wysox, which is the company that will be cleaning out the gravel bars and debris and installing the stone.

The Central Bradford County Chamber of Commerce is still trying to raise $15,000 to pay for the stone that will be used in the first phase.

"The Chamber has received numerous donations, but more is needed to reach the goal," according to a press release from Good and KBD Excavating & Hauling. "The average donation has been $500."

The chamber of commerce is sponsoring the stream cleanup and stabilization project.

The first phase of the project will begin at the railroad bridge located just off CraftMaster Road and will continue upstream for 250 feet. This first phase involves not only removing gravel bars, but tree debris.

There are fallen trees along the stream bank that will be removed "so that they don't end up in the stream and cause another breach" in the stream bank, Davis said.

Good has said that there is a curve in the creek behind the Bonanza Restaurant and the Comfort Inn where uprooted trees became lodged during Tropical Storm Lee, which caused water to flow out of the creek bed and flood businesses along Route 6.

Uprooted trees also clogged the underpass of the railroad bridge, which caused the stream to back up, contributing to the flooding.

A permit for Phase I was obtained from the Bradford County Conservation District last week, which is why the project is starting at this time, Good said.

KBD Excavating is donating the labor and equipment for Phase I.

The company is benefiting from the project, because the gravel that it removes from the stream will be used by the company to do road repairs and reconstruction work, including the reconstruction of roads for a gas company operating in the area, Davis said.

The value of the gravel will not offset all of the labor and other costs that KBD Excavating is donating toward the project, he said.

The company is donating $10,000 to $15,000 worth of labor and other expenses toward the project which won't be offset by the value of the gravel, he said.

If a private company was hired to do Phase I, and was paid for all of its services, Phase I would cost $50,000 to $60,000, he said.

If the weather cooperates, the first phase will be done in a month, he said.

KBD Excavating, which is headquartered in Connecticut and has a facility in Wysox Township, has experience in stream bank stabilization work, Davis said.

"(Flood) mitigation is one of our specialities," he said.

"The creek restoration project is an effort by Wysox businesses to prevent another devastating flood from occurring in Wysox," the press release said.

Anyone willing to contribute to Lanning Creek Stream Bank Restoration should contact Bill Them of the Central Bradford Chamber of Commerce at Century 21 Jackston Real Estate, P.O. Box E, Wysox, PA 18854 or call (570) 265-2100.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

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