Pennsylvania Insurance Department Urges Property Owners to Consider Flood Insurance& Provides Tips to Cut Premiums

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2015

Pennsylvania Insurance Department Urges Property Owners to Consider Flood Insurance& Provides Tips to Cut Premiums

Harrisburg, PA - Acting Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller today reminded Pennsylvanians that spring flooding is common throughout the state, and urged property owners to consider purchasing flood insurance to protect their homes, businesses, and possessions.  The recommendation is part of the department's recognition of National Flood Awareness Week, March 15-21.

"Melting snow, combined with spring rains, inadequate drainage, excessive runoff, or dam failure can cause major damage, so I recommend homeowners and business owners talk about flood coverage with their insurance professional as soon as possible," Miller said.  "Standard homeowner policies do not include coverage for flood damage, and there is a 30-day waiting period before a policy becomes effective.  The sooner you get coverage the better."

Figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency show Pennsylvania residents filed nearly 18,000 flood insurance claims in the nine years from 2006 through 2014, and received more than $551 million in payments.  Claims were filed from every county except Fulton.  "These statistics show flooding is a serious problem throughout all of Pennsylvania," Miller said.

Information detailing coverage and how to obtain flood insurance can be found at www.floodsmart.org, the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program, a federally-funded resource for flood victims.

There are also certain precautions property owners can take to lower the chance of suffering major flood damage. Among these are:

*         Install a sump pump and make sure it is working; install a battery-operated backup in case of a power failure.

*         Install "check valves" to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home.

*         Seal walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds.

*         Clear debris from gutters and downspouts.

*         Anchor any fuel tanks.

*         Elevate your furnace, water heater, washer, dryer, and electric panel, if you live in a high flood risk area.

"If you have taken these or other steps to lessen the potential for costly flood damage, make sure you talk with your insurance professional about any premium reductions for which you may be eligible under your policy," Miller said.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is continuing an update of maps which show flooding risks for individual properties.  If your property is mapped out of a high-risk area, your flood insurance costs will likely decrease. If you've been mapped into a high-risk area, you will be required to purchase flood insurance if your mortgage is through a federally regulated or insured lender. But you can save money with the Preferred Risk Policy (Eligibility Extension and through a process known as "grandfathering" provided by the NFIP. If your property was newly mapped into a high-risk flood zone after October 1, 2008, you may qualify for a PRP flood insurance policy.

Property owners can also challenge a flood map they feel is inaccurate.  Information on how to challenge a flood map is available at http://msc.fema.gov/portal.

More information on what property owners can do to lessen potential flood damage, and possibly lower premiums, is available at https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program.

Also, for insurance purposes, be sure to keep a written and visual (i.e., video or photographic) record of all major household items and valuables, even those stored in basements, attics or garages. Create files that include serial numbers and store receipts for major appliances and electronics. Have jewelry and artwork appraised. These documents are critically important when filing insurance claims. For more information, visit www.knowyourstuff.org.

Additional information on preparing your family to meet an emergency is found at www.ReadyPa.org.

For more information on insurance products and protections go to www.insurance.pa.gov <http://www.insurance.pa.gov/>  or call 877-881-6388.

MEDIA CONTACT:   Ron Ruman, Insurance Department, 717-787-3289

Penn State webinar October 29 discusses Pennsylvania climate and drought

The next Penn State Water Resources Extension webinar on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST will discuss Is Pennsylvania Becoming Drought Resistant?  The presenter will be Paul Knight, the Pennsylvania State Climatologist and Senior Lecturer at Penn State University. 
 
When: Wednesday,  October 29, 2014 - 12:00 to 1:00 PM 
Title: Is Pennsylvania Becoming Drought Resistant? 
Presenter: Paul Knight, the Pennsylvania State Climatologist and Senior Lecturer at Penn State University.
Where: the live webinar can be viewed at https://meeting.psu.edu/water1

Webinar description:
While there have been several notable dry spells since the era of warming began in the 1980's, a sustained drought appears to be rare compared with the decades prior. Climate models predict more frequent droughts over the continents in decades to come, but virtually none of these models forecast that precipitation would increase by 10% during the last century. Should we be planning for an unprecedented dry time in Pennsylvania? We will explore that possibility. 

About the Presenter:
Paul Knight is the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. He is a senior lecturer of synoptic meteorology at Penn State University and the manager of the Weather Communications Group. Paul was the senior forecaster for The New York Times from 1986-2009.He along with four other colleagues produced the weather page for the Times and International Herald Tribune. Paul is also producer, co-host and on-camera meteorologist Weather World, a fifteen minute, weeknight weather magazine show which was seen on 3 PBS stations in Pennsylvania for more than 30 years and is also broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network and Penn State's Public Television Station (WPSU).

How to Participate

·  The live webinar will occur from 12:00 to 1:00 PM and is accessible at: https://meeting.psu.edu/water1

·  You can access this webinar simply by signing in as a "guest".

·  Taped versions of each webinar in the series are available at:http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/past-webinars

·  If you have not registered for past water webinars, please visit the following website to register so we can keep you updated about futurewebinar offerings: http://extension.psu.edu/water/webinar-series/schedule/registration

·  If this will be your first webinar, you may want to test your computer and internet connection for compatibility at: https://meeting.psu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

WREN Article - Biglerville's Source Water Protection Program

The June issue of the Water Resources Education Network (WREN) newsletter, Water Policy News, has a feature article on Biglerville’s effort to develop a DEP-approved source water protection program.  Read the article HERE.

Protect Your Groundwater Day, September 9, 2014

Protect Your Groundwater Day (PYGWD) is coming up on September 9, 2014. That’s still plenty of time to prepare to help raise public awareness about the importance of groundwater and water well stewardship for the health of the public and the environment.  Visit the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) web page to find useful, educational information to share through your web sites, social media, newsletters, news releases, and events.  

http://sourcewaternews.asdwa.org/2014/07/25/protect-your-groundwater-day-is-coming-up-on-september-9th/

http://www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/groundwater-day/Pages/default.aspx

DEP Hosts Open House for Activities in Streams and Wetlands

News for Immediate Release

June 12, 2014

DEP Hosts Open House for Activities in Streams and Wetlands
Harrisburg-The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it will host an open house from 10a.m. to 7p.m. on Thursday, June 26, for property owners, homeowners, municipalities and small developers to learn about permitted activities in and along streams and wetlands.
The open house will be held at DEP's South-central Regional Office on 909 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg.
"The open house will provide people with a chance to have 'face time' with department permitting staff and ask questions about permitting requirements for stream and wetland activities," South-central Regional Director Lynn Langer said. "This is an educational opportunity that should not be missed because we often find the public is unaware that certain permits are required."
Typically during the summer, DEP receives a higher volume of complaints from the public regarding work in streams and wetlands. DEP frequently finds that dredging, which is cleaning out a stream; filling in or draining wetlands, also known as ditching; placing fill in a floodway to build-up the property; relocating a stream; stabilizing a stream bank; and installing culverts,  bridges, boat docks or ramps have occurred without permits. Before conducting any of these activities, people should consult first with DEP's Waterways and Wetlands Program.
During the open house, stations will be set up where staff from DEP's Waterways and Wetlands program will be ready to assist; answering questions ranging from stream bank stabilization projects to installation of driveway culverts to small land development projects. Staff will also be available to identify required permits for stream, wetland, pond, lake, and creek and river projects, conduct Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory searches and explain permit application requirements.
People attending the event are encouraged to bring pictures and descriptions with them if they have a question about the potential presence of a stream, wetland or area of where a project will be located.
The open house is intended for people who have questions or a project in the South-central Region. DEP's South-central Regional office serves Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York counties.
For more information about the open house or waterways and wetlands permitting activities, call DEP's Waterways and Wetlands Program at 717-705-4802.
Media Contact: Lisa Kasianowitz, 717-787-1323
Source: Department of Environmental Protection South-central Regional Office
###

Upcoming Outreach Events on Water Issues

Penn State Extension Workshop on Ensuring Water Quality in Your Watershed

 

Penn State Extension will hold a workshop on high priority watershed issues affecting water quality and quantity in Pennsylvania on June 9 at the York Water Company Education Center in York. Topics include: Green Infrastructure, Riparian Buffers & Maintenance, Conservation Easements, Invasive Species Management and Control.

There is a nominal registration fee and the deadline to register is June 3.  Additional information and the link for online registration is available athttp://www.cvent.com/events/ensuring-water-quality-in-your-watershed/event-summary-6d26e4cbe74f4914a6d18abf86af0ab6.aspx

 

 

2014 PA Ground Water Association (PGWA) Summer Field Conference on Using Stiff-Foam to Air-Rotary Drill through Caving Overburden

 

For the 13^th consecutive year, PGWA is waiving the registration fee for local, state, and federal government agency staff along with students, faculty, Master Well Owners, and Authority/Commission members or employees to attend the PGWA Summer Field Conference.  The field conference will be held on Friday June 13 at PGWA’s well demonstration site just west of State College (same site as last year – beside the Home Depot near Exit 69 of I-99).  This year's conference will demonstrate the use of Stiff-Foam to air-rotary drill through caving overburden. The Stiff-Foam drilling method uses significantly less air volume and creates a pseudo-wall-cake to minimize the collapsing of the caving overburden and to decrease the erosion of the borehole wall.  The foam also carries drill cuttings up the annular space to the surface.

 

This innovative drilling approach offers another option to overcome caving overburden conditions encountered during water well and geothermal borehole drilling.  The proper drilling and construction of any well is critical for protecting ground water quality and PGWA’s summer field conference is one of several initiatives by the group to provide outreach on the subject.  Large equipment and products used for water well construction, operation, and decommissioning along with the components of geothermal heat pump systems will also be on display.  A session on long-term water level monitoring to better characterize an aquifer will also be provided.  PGWA is offering 4.5 Professional Development Hours to licensed Professional Geologists and Professional Engineers who attend the entire program.  Advance registration is required and the deadline to register is June 6.  Lunch will be provided.  Additional details and the online registration link can be found at www.pgwa.org

Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection Partnership Meeting

 

The next meeting of the Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection (SWP) Partnership will be held on July 2 in Harrisburg.  The Partnership is a group of water utilities and municipal/county officials interested in protecting drinking water in the Lower Susquehanna region.  The Partnership has been focusing on land-use planning and emergency preparedness/response as ways to enhance source water protection.  The July 2 meeting will cover the planning process and tools to enhance SWP efforts, SWP and emergency response nexus, PA Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN), case studies of recent spills (chemical spill on Elk River in West Virginia and the train derailment in Lynchburg, VA) and MS4 mapping strategies.  If you are interested in attending this meeting, please contact Patrick Bowling (gbowling@pa.gov or 717-772-3600).

 

PA Rural Water Association Short Course on Source Water Protection – Managing Risks

 

The PA Rural Water Association will be offering a short course that will enable water system operators and managers to understand their source water assessment results and to develop/implement effective source water protection area management approaches to minimize risks to their drinking water sources.  The course will be held on July 23 at the Aspire Hotel & Suites at the Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center complex near Gettysburg.  There is a registration fee to attend and the course is worth 6 contact hours for eligible PA-certified drinking water operators.  Additional details and registration info can be found at http://www.prwa.com/content/source-water-protection-managing-risks-7-23-2014

Public meeting on GMA-York Water connection

On Tuesday, March 25^th a public information meeting was hosted at the Adams County Agricultural Center by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the proposed connection between the Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) and the York Water Company.  This connection would allow GMA to purchase water from York Water resulting in an interbasin transfer of water from the Susquehanna River basin to the Potomac River basin, the reason the connection has to be approved by SRBC and DEP.  Presentations were made by SRBC and DEP describing the procedure for reviewing and approving applications for water allocations.  GMA gave a presentation describing the process they used to determine the need for the importation of water from York Water, their evaluation of alternatives and their projections for water demand in the future.  In addition to the presentations by the hosts, 16 members of the audience spoke during the meeting, voicing varying views of the proposed interconnection and water purchase.  An article appeared in the March 26, 2014 edition of the Gettysburg Times.

Model Well Ordinances Enacted Locally

One of the draft recommendations of the CARP was to develop and promote a model well and geothermal construction ordinance. On June 25, 2103, the Adams County Conservation District’s Board of Directors adopted the Adams County Construction Standards and Material Specifications for Wells & Geothermal Systems, Model Ordinance for Well Construction, and Model Well Drilling Permit Application. Since that time, the Conservation District has been promoting the documents to the local municipalities through municipal meetings, newsletters, and other educational methods. To date, there are two municipalities (Arendtsville Borough and Hamiltonban Township) that have enacted the model ordinance and related documents and other municipalities are still in the process. For more information, contact Adam McClain at amcclain@adamscounty.us.

Call for Abstracts -- PA Groundwater Symposium

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium
May 7, 2014
Ramada Inn Conference Center, State College, PA
Abstract Deadline is January 31, 2014
Abstracts can be submitted at: http://agsci.psu.edu/pa-water-symposium

In celebration of National Drinking Water Week, Penn State Extension’s Master Well Owner Network and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection along with numerous other sponsors invite you to submit abstracts for the 2014 Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in State College, PA on May 7, 2014.  The Symposium theme: Building Groundwater Knowledge through Monitoring will provide a forum for researchers, students, professionals and educators working in the groundwater field to exchange information and promote protection of groundwater resources throughout the state.

Abstracts will be accepted through January 31, 2014 for oral or poster presentations on a wide variety of groundwater topics including:

• Groundwater monitoring
• Data availability and access
• Groundwater processes
• Wellhead protection
• Water well studies
• Emerging contaminants
• Aquifer studies
• Groundwater/surface water interactions
• Issues related to energy extraction
• Education and outreach
• Groundwater use for geothermal energy

The conference planning committee will review all abstracts and notify authors of acceptance via email by February 14, 2014.  The conference registration site and agenda will be available by March 1, 2014. Thanks to generous support from sponsors, a nominal registration fee of approximately $30 is currently expected for this symposium. 

The Headwaters - Well Construction Standards

Click here for the third edition of The Headwaters.  This periodic publication is compiled through the collaborative efforts of the Adams County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC), Adams County Conservation District, and Adams County Office of Planning and Development.  The third edition provides information on the Well Construction Standards documents that have been adopted by the Adams County Conservation District.

 

Medication Take Back - October 26, 2013

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Adams County and Hanover area residents can dispose of unused or expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications safely and free of charge during the seventh DEA take back medicine collection.

For more information, contact Eileen Grenell at Collaborating For Youth, 717.338.0300 ext 24 or drugfree@cfgettysburg.com.  Information on the Hanover locations can be obtained through Guiding Hearts with Hope, Martha King at 717.968.3083 or advocacymom@embarqmail.com.  For an EPA fact sheet on proper drug disposal, click here.

Register for Webcast on the “National Stormwater Calculator”

EPA will host a Watershed Academy Webcast on Oct. 23, 2013 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Eastern on the new “National Stormwater Calculator.”  This new calculator is designed for anyone interested in reducing runoff from a property including: site developers, landscape architects, urban planners, homeowners and others.  It can help users decide which stormwater management practices to install such as a rain garden or a green roof.  This calculator is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records.

You can download the Stormwater Calculator at www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/.

Register for the Webcast at  www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts

How to Determine Average Water Usage for a Home Before You Buy It

Click here for methods to determine average water usage for a home before you buy it.

Intro from the article:

One of the things you want to know before purchasing a house is how much water you'll use to keep everything up and running. There are several determining factors that affect the number that can fluctuate with the seasons or occupant behavior, but there are a few ways to get a ballpark figure you can work with.

VUSP Pennsylvania Stormwater Symposium

Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP) will host a 2013 Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Symposium October 17-18.

Final Draft Symposium Details:  This year we have the honor of being addressed by E. Christopher Abruzzo, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as John Capacasa, and Dominique Lueckenhoff of USEPA region III.  Lee McDonnell, Director of PaDEP's Bureau of Point and Non Point Source Management,  and Ken Murin, Chief, Bureau of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands will catch us up on what is happening at PaDEP.  We have over 50 concurrent technical presentations on all phases of stormwater management.  The topics and speakers are better than ever and we look forward to hearing what they have to say.  And don't forget the after hours poster session, and reception. Finally for those who enjoy our yearly tours, we are going to again offer several options with Lunch.  We are including many breaks to allow you to interact with the posters, the vendors, and your colleagues. 

For more information, visit the symposium website.

Webinar -- Strategies to Protect Private Wells and Springs in Pennsylvania

Groundwater protection strategies are especially important in Pennsylvania which is home to over one million private water wells and springs but is one of the few states that do not provide statewide regulations to protect these rural drinking water supplies.  

A live webinar will be broadcast from noon to 1 PM entitled Strategies to Protect Private Wells and Springs in Pennsylvania to highlight basic management strategies that homeowners can use to ensure safe drinking water for their household. The webinar will also highlight numerous Penn State publications and web tools for private water well and spring owners available on their website.

 

How to Participate

 

• The live webinar will occur from 12:00 to 1:00 PM and is accessible at: https://meeting.psu.edu/water1
• You can access this webinar simply by signing in as a "guest".
• Taped versions of each webinar in the series are available. 
• If you have not registered for past water webinars, please visit this website to register so we can keep you updated about future webinar offerings.
• If this will be your first webinar, you may want to test your computer and internet connection for compatibility here.

 

Additonal Upcoming Webinars 

Additional webinars on various water resources topics will be offered each month - generally on the last Wednesday of the month. A full schedule of upcoming webinars can be found here.

 

Please pass this along to anyone that might be interested in attending these webinars.

 

For more info on Penn State Resources and Protect Your Groundwater Day, click here. 

Protect Your Groundwater Day

September 10, 2013 is Protect Your Groundwater Day.  Read the flier by clicking here.

Workshop Announcement

Sustaining Your Public Water Supply:

Tools of the Trade for Municipal Officials, Planners and Water Suppliers

June 19, 2013

Raystown Lake Visitor Center - Huntingdon County

Pennsylvania is changing.  Forward-thinking communities are using source water protection to ensure the sustainability of drinking water. Source water protection uses a science-based approach backed by PADEP that puts multiple barriers in place to help keep contaminants like polluted runoff from farm fields, energy extraction, stormwater, transportation spills and emerging contaminants from jeopardizing water supply sources and threatening public health. It works for both groundwater and surface water supplies.

This informative workshop brings top speakers who will share resources and techniques to help you safeguard a reliable supply of safe, affordable drinking water, and enjoy greater peace of mind.  Sponsored by PA DEP, the Water Resources Education Network (WREN Project), and the Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute, the workshop was designed with multiple audiences in mind – municipal officials and managers, community planners, water authority members and water utility staff– because all play an important role in providing safe and sustainable drinking water to our communities.

Speakers:

• Stan Lembeck, Ph.D., AICP, Chairman PA Municipal Planning Educational Institute --land use and planning tools to sustain drinking water supplies
• Cathy Port, Geologic Specialist, PA DEP --highlights of the Source Water Protection Program available in Pennsylvania
• Beth Futrick, Agricultural Ombudsman, Blair County Conservation District --tools to reduce agricultural risks to drinking water
• Andrew McAllister, W. PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation -- tools to reduce acid mine drainage risks to drinking water
• Brian Eckert, Director, PA Department of Community & Economic Development --financial tools for water supplies and watershed protection
• Julie Kollar, Director, Water Resources Education Network -- Resources and techniques PA communities are using for drinking water protection 

It’s easy to  register online.  Just click on the link:  http://www.sourcewaterpa.org/?p=3046

The workshop will benefit new and experienced municipal officials, planners, water utilities, conservation groups and anyone interested in safe drinking water. 

Registration fee of $10 covers box lunch, workshop and materials. Checks may be mailed to:  League of Women Voters of PA-CEF, 226 Forster St, Harrisburg, PA  17102 or you may pay at the door.   We anticipate that the workshop will be approved for 2 Water Operator Conference Contact Hours by PADEP. 

To learn more about source water protection in Pennsylvania, view the video at http://www.sourcewaterpa.org/.

Clean drinking water is vital to communities.  Please Join Us!

For Questions, please contact:

Julie Kollar

Director

Water Resources Education Network (WREN) a project of the

League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund

267-468-0555 Email: juliekwren@verizon.net

Please visit the WREN websites: www.sourcewaterpa.org and http://wren.palwv.org