If it seems that we have had a very wet summer, it is because we have. National Weather Service reports that 11.99 inches of rain (let’s call it 12 inches), fell in Williamsport in the month of July, with the normal amount being 4.34 inches. July 2018 ranks as the wettest July on record, shattering the previous record of 9.65 inches set in 1992.

Though it is small comfort, Lycoming County has been on the edge of the worst of the rainfall. Harrisburg to the south had 16 inches of rain in July when their average is 6 inches. State College to our west has had over 20 inches of rain, their wettest on record. AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams sums it up, “The weather pattern this summer is one of the most dramatic outbreaks of rain ever to hit Pennsylvania and other states in the region in a non-tropical storm setting,”

What has made this wet summer so unusual is that there have been three different storm systems that have come through back to back over a period of weeks. Even one would have given us a good dousing, but the repetition of heavy rainfall on top of ground that was already saturated is what has caused the problems. The saturation of the ground also impacts the runoff that does not just flow into the Susquehanna River but also Loyalsock Creek, Lycoming Creek, Larry’s Creek (my favorite name for a body of water), Black Hole Creek (my second favorite name), Muncy Creek, Pine Creek, and Grafius Run. When these county creeks overflow, that water has to go somewhere, and that somewhere almost always causes problems.

At the August 16th meeting, the County Commissioners signed two resolutions, 2018-20 and 2018-21, which covered the three storm systems and the resulting damage. It states, “we direct the Lycoming County Emergency Management Agency to coordinate the activities of the emergency response, to take all appropriate action to alleviate the effects of this disaster, to aid in the restoration of essential public service, and to take any other emergency response actions deemed necessary to respond to this disaster emergency.”

State Senator Gene Yaw reports that several contracts have been initiated for emergency projects related to recent flooding in Lycoming County. A $790,000 contract was started to stabilize the embankment along Route 87 just north of Route 973 in Plunketts Creek Township. Also, an $81,500 contract to stabilize Route 220 and prevent the stream from jumping the embankment near Glen Mawr was also agreed to.

As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. At a recent borough council meeting in Montgomery, Councilwoman Fae Herb commended the town’s EMS Coordinator Dennis Gruver for his proactive work in clearing out debris last fall from Black Hole Creek that runs through Clinton Township and Montgomery Borough. It was because of this that the creek did not rise higher than it would have risen had that litter and rubbish still been there.

Many people believe that the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) forbids any maintenance of streams without their permission. To dispel this myth, DEP has produced a very helpful pamphlet, “Guidelines for Maintaining Streams in Your Community.” It notes ten specific actions that do not require DEP notification, such as cleaning out culverts, removing manmade materials (litter, construction debris, etc), removing woody debris from stream while standing on the bank (so as not dig into the streambed), and planting trees and other plants on stream banks, especially native species.

For information about the status of your area; streams, roads, bridges, etc, contact your city, borough or township office. For more information about state projects, or to receive the DEP booklet on stream maintenance, contact State Senator Gene Yaw, 175 Pine Street, Williamsport, (570) 322-6457, State Representative Garth Everett, Penn Hills Plaza, 21 Kristi Rd., Suite 1, Muncy, (570) 546-2084, or State Representative Jeff Wheeland, 349 Pine Street, Suite 1, Williamsport, (570) 321-1270.