Scranton to inform residents about stormwater projects – Scranton Times-Tribune

Scranton will hold another public meeting Thursday to update residents on the status of several planned stormwater improvements in the city.

The meeting, the latest in a series of stormwater-related information sessions, will specifically focus on stormwater projects in Minooka, North Scranton, Tripp Park and West Scranton. It’s scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Tripp Park Community Center, 2000 Dorothy St.

Stormwater management and flood mitigation are priorities for the city, with continued investments in stormwater infrastructure totaling nearly $23 million, officials said in a news release. That total includes approximately $6.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding specifically allocated to the four project areas mentioned above.

City officials will join representatives from Scranton engineering firm Reilly Associates and environmental science, engineering and consulting firm Verdantas to share information Thursday on the status of those projects, “including results of site studies and project design details,” according to the city. said.

Early last year, Verdantas acquired the Wilkes-Barre firm Borton-Lawson, which Scranton engaged to provide stormwater technology and related services in Minooka, West Side and North Scranton. Reilly Associates manages Tripp Park.

“We’ve heard from residents in all these public meetings that the stormwater issues are legacy issues — they’ve been going on for decades,” said City Manager Eileen Cipriani. “The city, thanks to the American Rescue Plan and aggressive grant applications, has been able to secure the funding to finally address this, so we are taking a comprehensive look at the city. We have projects in every corner of the city. Some of these projects are further along in the design phase, so you will see construction sooner, but we plan to complete all of these projects by the end of 2026.”

Efforts are also underway to improve stormwater management on East Mountain and in the Keyser Valley portion of Scranton, which has long been plagued by persistent flooding problems. Keyser Valley, devastated by the floods on September 9, 2023, was the subject of a public meeting in late October where residents were updated on progress there.

Among its broader investments, Scranton has allocated approximately $7.5 million in federal ARPA funding for Keyser Valley stormwater improvements, which were the focus of a September 2021 stormwater and flooding study conducted by engineering firm Greenman-Pedersen Inc .

The city is also pursuing the possible creation of a regional stormwater authority with several partner municipalities, including Clarks Summit, Dickson City, Dunmore, Moosic, Old Forge and South Abington Twp. and Taylor. Such authority would allow the city and other participants to manage stormwater more effectively, efficiently and affordably and meet federal pollution reduction requirements, proponents of the approach argue.

Information about stormwater management and the City’s ongoing efforts to improve stormwater infrastructure is available online at scrantonpa.gov.