Wilkes-Barre’s Brookside Levee receives FEMA accreditation following rehab project

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes-Barre residents living in the area of the Brookside Levee will now have increased flood protection thanks to a years-long rehabilitation project that recently received accreditation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The accreditation was announced by Wilkes-Barre City Mayor George Brown during a press conference Tuesday morning at the corner of Johnson and North Main Street.

Because of the improvements made, the accreditation acknowledges the Brookside Levee, which extends about half a mile along the left bank of Mill Creek and the North Cross Valley Expressway, as reducing flood hazards caused by Susquehanna River backwater conditions on Mill Creek to residents who live in the area.

Wilkes-Barre received the official letter of accreditation from FEMA on July 23.

Upgrades included raising the levee crest, replacement/improvement of existing system controls, clearing trees within 15 feet of the levee, electrical upgrades at the Weir Lane stormwater pump station, including a backup emergency generator, and other construction activities.

“The Brookside Levee system now meets or exceeds all FEMA accreditation standards, ensuring continued flood risk reduction to the Brookside community,” Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney explained Tuesday.

According to the city, the project enhanced flood protection for 238 residents and 105 buildings, valued at over $30 million.

While Delaney said he would never recommend that a property owner not have flood insurance, the accreditation of the Brookside Levee will give them the option to opt out of flood insurance if they have a federally backed mortgage.

Hadley Construction, Apollo Electric, and Verdantas Engineering worked on the project.

Mayor Brown, during the press conference, said the total cost of the rehab project was nearly $1.5 million, which included $666,000 worth of construction costs and $350,000 that went towards accreditation.

Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority contributed over a total of 1 million to the project, while the rest was covered by a $400,000 LSA grant awarded to the city of Wilkes-Barre and $68,000 from the general fund.

Delaney, who is also the city’s emergency management coordinator, said the Brookside Levee system “is a vital component of the city’s flood mitigation strategy.”

“Without the levee, when the Susquehanna River rises 31 feet, Mill Creek backs up into Hollenback Park and then can start to inundate the Brookside neighborhood,” he explained.

Delaney previously stated during a city council meeting just before ground broke on the project in August 2024 that Wilkes-Barre had wanted to make improvements to the Brookside Levee for more than a decade.

Notably, in 2011, during Hurricane Irene, the Weir Lane stormwater pump station failed because there was no emergency power to it, which resulted in 3 1/2 feet of sewage on Brookside Street.

This resulted in the fire department having to remove several residents from Brookside Street in the fire department rescue boat, Delaney said Tuesday.

A new state-of-the-art emergency generator was installed as part of the levee rehab project.

A handful of state and local officials joined Mayor Brown for the press conference, including State Sen. Marty Flynn and State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, both of whom helped secure funding for the project.

Flynn said the enhanced safety protections made it so residents in the area “have one less thing to worry about” when heavy rain and flooding occur, and make buying a home more affordable for new homeowners.

“[This project has] been years in the making. It took planning, and it took partnerships, and it took people who are willing to fight for funding. And today, we’re back to celebrate all the hard work that makes this possible,” said Flynn.

Pashinski noted that a large portion of the project’s funding was provided by LSA grants, which come from state gaming revenue.

“They provide millions of dollars back to Pennsylvania so that we have the dollars to make these improvements,” Pashinski said.

The Bookside Levee is situated in Council Chairperson Jessica McClay’s district, and she said she remembered the 2011 flood and how devastating it was.

“So, I’m happy this is finished,” she said.

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