Kittanning Flood Wall Headed for Trouble

Leader Times
13 August 2011

The flood wall that runs between the Allegheny River and North Water Street in Kittanning might become a significant monument — to the banality of how government gets things done.

Here is the story as we have been told it:

• The flood wall no longer meets U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' standards.

• As such, the federal agency says more people in the borough — in areas never before flooded — must buy flood insurance. The federal government sets the standards and then bullies those who don't meet them. Is there discussion? Well, not much.

• The borough was denied an extension of a grant application that would have provided $30,000 toward repairing the wall. Kittanning was to supply labor in that amount to match the grant but found it could not afford to supply the people to do the work. The town — not unlike so many — is financially strapped. The grant supplier, the state Department of Environmental Protection, said that's tough. No in-kind work, no grant.

Here is what seems odd to us:

Locks and dams in this area were built in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The facility at Kittanning opened in 1930. These projects were designed to pool up the water to facilitate navigation on this stretch of the river. To be sure, commercial navigation is limited these days, but recreational use of the pools continues.

So, in effect, the river was made into a transportation system, much like our national system of interstate highways.

How then does it happen that the small town of Kittanning with its limited tax base becomes solely responsible for the repair of a federally installed flood wall? It may make sense to the lawyers, but it doesn't make common sense.

Also, is it not curious that the very political entities — including federal bureaus — that are designed to make our lives better and safer are actually working against one another instead of doing the hard work necessary to make things happen?

So, is this a political issue?

Everybody from borough council, to the county commissioners, to state and federal lawmakers should be holding press conferences to decry this approach. FEMA does not run the nation — and we are thankful.

Years ago, when deterioration on the locks and dams threatened their closure, the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha was out on the river in a boat with news reporters to discuss the value of the facilities. He got action. Of course, his seniority and position in the Congress helped. Maybe that approach doesn't work anymore, but let's at least get all the parties to a single table at the same time.

Now our officials just seem to mumble privately about the absurdity of such situations instead of using their bully pulpits to muster public attention and support.

And if you don't know what the term "bully pulpit" means, well maybe it is because the thing hasn't been used much of late.