MILFORD, PA — The Pike County Commissioners on December 2 agreed to contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide partial funding for upgrade work on Kintz Creek Dam in Greene Township, following a public hearing and facing the higher cost of removing the dam.

Kintz Creek is a tributary of the East Branch of Wallenpaupack Creek. The dam, built in 1970, is one of seven built by the USDA in the Greene-Dreher watershed as a flood-control project. Pike County inherited the dam upon completion.

Due to increased downstream development, a study in 2000 upgraded it as a high-hazard dam, according to Heather Smeltz of the Natural Conservation Resources Service (NRCS).

Commissioner Rich Caridi emphasized that “there is no threat to life or property” from the existing dam.

Smeltz agreed that the annually inspected dam is in “really good shape… There is nothing wrong; it just doesn’t meet [current] codes,” as there are now 41 structures valued at $8.5 million downstream.

The alternative to an upgrade is elimination. Upgrading the dam is projected to cost about $3 million, of which $2.27 million would be federal funding. The county is going to have to find $725,000. “All contributions will be appreciated,” Commissioner Karl Wagner quipped.

Breaching the dam would cost $1.55 million, which the county would have to fund alone.

Facing an uncertain budget year, Caridi said that “$725,000 is not an insignificant amount. We’re not downplaying that.

“It’s been hard to decide… we’ve got to do something and it’s fortunate that NRCS has taken an interest. Others don’t have this support,” he added.

Speaking to new stricter state safety standards that are prompting the project, Smeltz said she didn’t know how the standards were drawn. “DEP is one of the most conservative state agencies. It’s more costly, but they’re looking out for your best interests.”

Smeltz suggested that the county might seek Act 13 “shale drilling” money to supplement county funding.

NRCS engineer Don Murray said the upgraded dam safety specifications were a “nationally driven program. It’s not just PA experiencing pain.”

Oklahoma, where shale drilling has been prevalent, has been experiencing earthquakes, which he said may be related to the drilling. “PA is not excluded from those,” he added.

The new state high-hazard dam, rainfall impoundment requirement for a 36-inch storm over a 72-hour period has been criticized as overly strict in neighboring Wayne County, as the recognized regional flood of record was in 1955 when 17 inches of rain fell in the Upper Delaware River Valley from Hurricane Diane.

Murray said 30-inch storms can happen. “That’s one of the reasons that a new dam spillway will be added,” he said.

Historically, at least one other PA storm exceeded Diane. According to an abstract (www.schnabel-eng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Extreme-Events.pdf) by engineer John Harrison, of Schnabel Engineering of West Chester, PA, a July 18, 1942 storm in Smethport, (McKean County) PA was a world record storm. Precipitation of 30.8 inches was reported there in 4.75 hours. The affected areas were in Elk, Cameron, McKean and Potter counties in North Central PA.

In other business, the commissioners announced that the 2016 budget will be finalized at a special meeting on December 30.