Solebury Secures Grant for Carversville Flood Control
Solebury Township has secured a $50,000 state grant to fund dredging and remedial repairs on the Pannaucussing Creek at Wismer and Carversville roads. State Sen. Steve Santarsiero announced the grant award at an event in Carversville on Nov. 1, and Solebury Supervisors say they hope it will be the first of many funding efforts to address the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Sen. Santarsiero presents the grant check to Township Manager Chris Garges (l.) and Board of Supervisors Chair Mark Baum Baicker. Behind them are Township Engineer Curt Genner and supervisors Kevin Morrissey, Robert McEwan and John Francis.
“We’ve been working on many fronts to get funding to address the long-term flooding risks faced by our residents,” said Solebury Township Board of Supervisors Chair Mark Baum Baicker. “Sen. Santarsiero was able to get us these critical funds for badly-needed culvert dredging. Not only is that work so important on its own but it also seems to have created momentum toward getting us even more help, potentially on the federal level, for projects to shore up the banks of the Paunnacussing Creek through Carversville down to the Delaware River to mitigate future disasters.”
This $50,000 grant will fund the removal of debris from the culvert at Wismer and Carversville and the bulk excavation of debris accumulated upstream. This is the first stage of a larger project that will include stream restoration along the Paunnacussing.
"The Township was also notified recently that the National Park Service is going to provide a great deal of assistance," said Baum Baicker. "They will provide design work and other assistance that will impact the entire creek, all the way down to the river."
The culvert at Wismer and Carversville roads, a target of the repairs funded by this grant.
Efforts to secure funding for these efforts from state and federal agencies have been ongoing for over a year. The Park Service became involved after outreach from Supervisor Robert McEwan and Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic. McEwan noted that former Supervisor Bill Tinsman was instrumental in pushing for the inclusion of the Pannaucussing Creek in the Wild & Scenic River program.
"After a year of trying, we hope this first grant through Sen. Santarsiero will give us some momentum. It's still a long fight to get money, but we're hoping to get these projects fully funded," said Baum Baicker.