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WYOMING — The weather is warming up, and Wyoming Valley residents are gassing up their all-terrain vehicles and hitting the trails.
Some riders, however, are making trails in places where they should not be — namely, on the earthen levees and adjoining lands of the Wyoming Valley Flood Risk Mitigation System.
What may be seen as harmless fun by most could actually have a damaging effect on the system’s long-term integrity.
Chris Belleman, executive director of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority, pointed out Monday damage caused by riders behind the Wyoming-West Wyoming Little League Fields. Deep ruts cut into the ground where either a pick-up truck or an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) left its mark.
Farther behind the fields, Belleman pointed out to a point where ATV riders actually rode up the embankment and along the levee, creating a dirt track along the top of the levee and stretching down its embankments.
“Once you get back here, there’s no eyes back here,” Belleman said.
Belleman said similar damage is common as the weather warms and people begin to ride their ATVs. He added that it is especially prevalent in remote areas, such as Hanover Township and in portions of West Wyoming.
Erosion concerns
Belleman explained that the grass and soil protects the core of the levee, which is made of clay.
“If you don’t have a good grass cover to help protect the soil, then you’re going to have erosion occurring, and it could have long-term impacts on the structural integrity of the levee, which is what we don’t want,” he said.
Belleman admitted that a lot has not been done over the past few years to guard against this sort of damage on the levee system. He added that the enforcement of keeping recreational vehicles off the levee system falls to local municipal police departments, which he commended.
Since he became executive director for the authority, however, Belleman vowed to take a stand to try to further prevent additional damage.
“It’s reached a point now where we have to act,” he said.
Belleman said the authority is in the process of obtaining quotes to install more guard rails at the Flood Protection Authority’s parking lots on Flat Road in Plymouth, Swetland Lane in Wyoming and along Colonial Drive adjacent to the Wyoming-West Wyoming Little League Fields.
“We are hoping that installation of the railing will curtail a lot of the unauthorized access by ATVs and their subsequent damage to the turf,” Belleman said. He also said that additional “No Trespassing” signs will be placed along the levee system this spring.
Paying for damage
Those who fail to heed to those warnings and are caught destroying the soil on the levee system will face a bill to cover damage.
Belleman said that the individuals responsible for some of the damage done behind the Wyoming-West Wyoming Little League fields were caught and will be held responsible to repair the damages.
“We have a police report, we have photographs and we are going to press charges … and we are going to go for full restitution,” he said.
Another man who was caught last year ended up paying $6,000 for similar damages, Belleman said.
Belleman encouraged anybody who sees recreational vehicles on the levee system to contact local authorities. He also had a simple message for riders who might be thinking about taking a ride on the levee system.