CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES RECEIVES $192,500 FEMA GRANT FOR ONGOING WATERSHED STUDY
To
help protect the safety of residents within the Pennypack Creek Watershed
it is vital to develop the most accurate floodplain maps possible.
One
of the primary research projects of the Center for Sustainable Communities
at Temple University Ambler has been an ongoing study of the watershed to
help alleviate flooding in the 12-municipality area — a project that is
receiving a boost from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA
has awarded the Center $192,500 to complete aerial photography of the
Pennypack Creek Watershed that will be used to develop digital contour
maps, essential for floodplain mapping.
“This
will create more refined contour elevation information needed to plot out
and prepare floodplain maps and recommend stormwater controls more
accurately,” said Dr. Jeffrey Featherstone, Director of the Center for
Sustainable Communities and Chair of the Department of Community and
Regional Planning.
According
to FEMA civil engineer Kenneth Wallace, the agency is hoping that the
Pennypack Creek Watershed study “will act as a model for getting
everyone involved, interested, and on board.”
“I
think one of the main things about this study is the uniqueness of it.
Temple’s Center has put together a huge collaborative effort between
themselves, FEMA, the Philadelphia Water Department, and local government
agencies,” Wallace said. “I think it will further educate the area
about flooding and floodplains — it is extremely important to update and
revise the floodplain maps for accuracy. For the townships, I think it
also provides them a valuable tool for floodplain management.”
The
Center’s study will provide an updated set of floodplain maps for the
12-municipality area that encompasses parts of Philadelphia, Montgomery,
and Bucks counties. University experts are also conducting water-quality
monitoring in addition to providing municipal officials with better
technical information to implement open space and stream corridor
protection plans. Research has additionally begun to evaluate existing
stormwater facilities to identify modifications that could help mitigate
flooding problems.
In
2004, the Temple University Landscape Architecture faculty will evaluate
open space and trail options for the watershed.
“The
Center for Sustainable Communities was created to encourage
multi-municipal coordination and management. A watershed study like this
one is a classic example of how and why municipalities should work
together,” Dr. Featherstone said. “If they are not working toward a
common goal, the same problems are just going to keep reappearing.”
The
56-square-mile Pennypack Creek Watershed includes a population of about
640,000 people. In addition to the City of Philadelphia, the townships and
boroughs located wholly or partially in the watershed include: Abington,
Bryn Athyn, Hatboro, Horsham, Jenkintown, Lower Moreland, Rockledge, Upper
Dublin, Upper Moreland, Upper Southampton, and Warminster. The study is
being funded in part by a $330,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation.
For
more information on the Center’s Pennypack Creek Watershed Study, call
215-283-1540 or visit the Center for Sustainable Communities website at
www.csc.temple.edu.
CONTACT: James Duffy, (215) 283-1290, duffyj@mail.temple.edu, release available by e-mail
