Thursday, August 10, 2023, Dr. Horace Strand, Executive Manager of the Stormwater Authority of the City of Chester, held a press conference to announce a settlement in a $9.9M grant to assist the city with the abatement of a major flooding problem
in Memorial Park. The funds have been provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Pennsylvania revolving funds through PENNVEST.
For many years, heavy rains would flood the park, wreaking havoc downstream and flooding houses and businesses directly into the city’s only library. Untreated water flows directly into the Delaware River, dragging trach along with it. This grant will allow us to address this problem and provide some amenities to enhance the beauty of the park. This grant represents more than $12 million in free funds along with $32 million in low-interest loans to repair our ancient infrastructure. Since the establishment of SAC, Chester has seen a tremendous reduction in floodings and road closings.
Flooding has always been a major issue in the City of Chester, but since the Stormwater Authority, floods have lessened quite a bit. Just as Chester became a case study of a disaster affecting an entire city following Hurricane Ida in 1971, Stormwater Authority has become an exemplary example of how to correct those problems lessening the damage to property and the possibility of a loss of life. The thriving community of Eyre Park is just a memory. Ida ran through Eyre Park and the Downtown Business section of the city swifter than Grant ran through Richmond. Lives were lost, many feared for their lives, and homes and businesses were destroyed. With climate change and the severity of the storms we’ve been experiencing, as of late, it’s just plain old good common sense to have some systems in place that can ensure that another community isn’t flooded and washed away. Eyre Park is now part of the Chester City Parks, Trails, and Open Space Master Plan, thanks in large part to Stormwater Authority, but never forget the people who lived in Eyre Park.
“With God’s help, the people of Chester have worked together to find a solution to their own problem, and PENNVEST and the EPA have come to our aid to help us do it,” says Strand.
The Memorial Park project construction is approximately 24 months from start until completion. The project is slated to begin in December 2023 or January 2024, weather permitting.
