Two high-hazard dam projects in Snyder and Schuylkill counties will receive some of the latest round of federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
A few of Pennsylvania’s high-hazard dams will receive some much needed repairs thanks to millions of dollars in infrastructure funding from the federal government.
Last week, the federal government said it will spend about $420 million for 132 water-related projects in 31 states. That’s in addition to $166 million allocated last month. Pennsylvania will receive $3.85 million for two projects. Funding was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden last year.
The dam on Walker Lake in Adams Township, Snyder County, will receive $725,000 for the planning phase to rehabilitate the existing structure and to extend its service life as a high hazard dam. The dam was constructed in 1970 and provides flood damage reduction benefits to properties downstream.
The other $3.125 million will go towards planning the repairs to five dams on the Little Schuylkill River in Schuylkill County. Four out of these five dams are in the state’s top 25 dams for Failure Index. The dams were constructed between 1962 and 1968 with 50-year project lives.
Funding for the projects is flowing through two watershed programs run by the Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Division of Dam Safety has around 3,380 dams in its database, of which 744 (22%) are considered high hazard, meaning that their failure could cause significant property damage and loss of life.
Politics
Clearing the air: Pennsylvania takes stride towards smoke-free policy for all workplaces and public spaces
Due to loopholes in the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008, more than 1,300 venues in Pennsylvania still allow patrons to smoke indoors. A new bill is...
Prescription drugs are getting cheaper for seniors thanks to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
Prescription drug costs are falling by the thousands this year for more than a million American seniors due to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction...
Court tosses Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers’ challenge of state, federal voter access actions
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — An attempt by conservative Pennsylvania lawmakers to overturn a shift to automatic voter registration was dismissed by a...
Local News
8 things you may not know about Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie has been receiving a fair amount of attention recently, as Pennsylvania’s northwestern corner is the only spot in the state where the full...
House fire in Western Pa. kills man, 4 children as 3 other family members are rescued
Investigators were searching Thursday for the cause of a fire that tore through a house in the Pittsburgh suburbs, killing a man and four children...