Sunbury flood wall certification worth more than $1.5 million to property owners [The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.]

Dec. 30--SUNBURY -- Sunbury's floodwall along the Susquehanna River has been certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, keeping the levee system accredited and homeowners from having to buy flood insurance.

Greg Wilt, assistant general manager of the Sunbury Municipal Authority and the region's flood manager, confirmed Thursday that the city's flood protection system -- including the wall -- satisfies engineering requirements for design, construction, maintenance and operations.

It's important news for the city, Wilt said. If the flood protection system was found not accredited, Sunbury residents would have found themselves living in an area of high flood risk.

That would have put residential property owners under a mandatory requirement to purchase flood insurance, collectively estimated at $1.5 million in 2009.

According to FEMA, the average cost for flood insurance is about $400 year in most areas, although in high-risk areas the cost could be as high as $700 per year.

Those without a mortgage and flood insurance would have received less money through public assistance in the event of a flood.

"As a result, the community would also see a decline in property values, which would directly impact the tax base," Wilt said in a statement. "De-accreditation, as a whole, could cost a community millions of dollars annually."

Also, any new construction or renovated buildings would need to be elevated to or above a "base flood elevation."

While FEMA has deemed the Sunbury system as capable of flood protection, Wilt said it's important to note that such systems can provide just a specific level of protection.

Everyone who lives behind a flood control system "should understand the risk to life and property" and prepare accordingly.

The system was in poor condition when the city turned it over to the Sunbury Municipal Authority in 1993.

Since then, the authority has pumped more than $6 million into maintaining and improving the 175-acre system, which is made up of a 2.4-mile concrete wall, 2.6 miles of earthen levies, six pumping stations, eight interceptor sewers, six drainage structures, six closure structures and 93 flap gates.

The Sunbury floodwall's original design called for a barrier to withstand flood waters up to 33 feet. Three feet of concrete were added to the wall to ensure the city's safety.

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