YORK, Pennsylvania - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, is working expeditiously on an emergency contract to help stabilize an approximately 20-foot-wide section of channel wall immediately upstream of the Philadelphia Street Bridge that collapsed into Codorus Creek Thursday due to heavy rainfall over the last week.
The contract will consist of filling in a sinkhole on top of the collapsed section and replacing the stone that fell into the creek. Until a contract can be awarded, which is anticipated in the coming days, engineers are taking immediate temporary action to place material over the sinkhole that contributed to the channel wall collapse to prevent further erosion.
The masonry channel wall is part of the Codorus Creek flood risk management system that is operated and maintained by the Corps; however, the wall is not part of a floodwall or levee. It abuts existing high ground along the channel. The wall’s purpose is to keep the water within the channel and to protect against erosion and scouring. Therefore, this collapse does not increase flood risk to the community.
Within hours of notification of the collapse, Baltimore District engineers were on site assessing the situation and working with local officials. Engineers will continue to actively monitor both anticipated precipitation levels, as well as the conditions at the project site and will determine a path forward for eventual, strategic discharges from Indian Rock Dam that will not induce added stress on the collapsed area.
“We’re working closely across our entire district team — both on site and back at the Baltimore District offices — to determine the right actions to take while weighing a variety of factors,” said Col. John Litz, Baltimore District commander. “In everything we do, public safety is at the forefront.”
All three gates at Indian Rock Dam remained closed as of Thursday to hold back upstream flood waters. The dam is holding back approximately 4.2 billion gallons of water from flowing down Codorus Creek. Just under half of the dam's full flood capacity is in use, and the dam continues to function as designed.
The fiscal 2018 President’s Budget includes $15.9 million for the Codorus Creek Flood Risk Management Project. This funding will be used to help address significant issues along the aging project. Work is anticipated to begin over the next year.