The Chester County Water Resources Authority, The University of Delaware, and Brandywine Conservancy partner to protect communities from flooding

Brandywine River floods during Hurrican Ida

The catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Ida prompted the Chester County Water Resources Authority, University of Delaware Water Resources Center, and the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art to work together to determine how best to:

– Reduce flooding to the main stem of the Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania and Delaware
– Coordinate with Delaware flood mitigation efforts
– Identify projects for flood attenuation, including pilot projects on Brandywine Conservancy-owned properties that may serve as models for watershed-wide sites

“We’re not going to solve flooding,” said Seung Ah Byun, PhD, PE, Executive Director for the Chester County Water Resources Authority. “It’s going to happen, and it’s a matter of being prepared and making sure people are out of harm’s way as much as we can.”

A draft report of the Brandywine Flood Study is now available for a 45-day public comment period through March 1, 2025.

Link to the DRAFT study and WHYY’s Zoe Read reporting on the team’s progress here.

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