On September 8, 2011, Tropical Storm Lee produced over 15 inches of rainfall in the 120 square mile Upper Swatara Creek watershed. The north end of Pine Grove Borough is where the most severe flooding impacts the town, 180 residential dwellings, numerous commercial businesses, and the town’s largest employer (Guilford Mills with over 300 employees) were severely impacted. Guillford Mills had 36 inches of water inside it’s facility.
The project utilized approximately 50 acres of open land on the east side of the Swatara Creek to develop a naturalized floodplain area that would alleviate the majority of flooding on the west side of the creek. In the process, the elevation of the land on the east side of the creek was four to five feet, wetlands restored and roads and utilities relocated.