U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Prepares for Susquehanna Flooding

BALTIMORE, MD – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District is dispatching engineers to area levees and dams, monitoring water levels at their dams and lakes and activating emergency operations procedures in preparation for potential flooding.  

Corps-operated flood damage reduction reservoirs and Corps-built and locally-maintained flood damage reduction projects are helping lessen the overall flood impacts and damages that occur in the Susquehanna River basin.

The Corps has closed gates at several dams in New York State and Pennsylvania.  These dams include Stillwater, Sayers, and Indian Rock in Pennsylvania; and East Sidney and Whitney Point in New York. 

At Baltimore District headquarters, water control experts have begun monitoring water levels along the Susquehanna, its tributaries and at Corps-managed dams.  The team combines stream gages, weather and flood forecasts from the National Weather Service and information received during constant communication with dam tenders in order to strategically manage water flow. Their goal is to reduce downstream flood peaks by storing water during the period of greatest flow and slowly releasing it after the flood crest has passed. 

In towns protected by Corps-built levees and floodwalls, the specially designed structures contain the water by using an impenetrable clay-like material at their core to preserve the integrity of the structure.  Drains along the base of the land side of the levee collect any water that may have seeped under, while pumps carry rain water over the levee and into the river. During a high water event, teams of Corps engineers perform 24-hour levee patrols on projects experiencing high water, walking the levees and examining the flood walls and pump stations to ensure proper performance. They also work in partnership with state and local officials to provide technical assistance and support.

Baltimore District provides emergency assistance for flood response and post-flood response activities to save lives and protect improved property during or following a flood or coastal storm. The Corps supplements state and local efforts, and prior to a predicted flood emergency, the Corps has the ability to take advance measures under certain circumstances.