Hollidaysburg moves ahead on Beaver Dam and Sylvan Hills stream restorations; Gaysport pond modeled to cut localized flooding

Hollidaysburg officials on Nov. 14 described progress on multiple stormwater projects meant to improve water quality and reduce routine flooding in low‑lying neighborhoods.

Chelsea Wyant, representing the intergovernmental stormwater committee, told council the ISC must implement projects to meet MS4 permit goals and "reduce about 1,400,000 pounds of sediment, per year," and said roughly 300,000–400,000 pounds remain to be addressed. She outlined the Beaver Dam branch floodplain restoration—phase 1 is under construction, with a planned finish in late spring or early summer—and said temporary removal of trees and visible excavations will be followed by reseeding and spring plantings to restore vegetation and habitats.

"This project began in September," Wyant said, describing the conceptual maps and noting the work is phased so phase 1 connects to existing conditions without requiring immediate phase 2. She also described the Sylvan Hills Golf Course stream‑restoration project, designed by Land Studies and funded in part by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant plus ISC contributions; that project started in October and will primarily require spring plantings after contractors complete winter work on the banks.

Borough Engineer Greg emphasized the limits and the modeled benefits of a proposed Gaysport pond tied to those efforts. Based on hydrology and hydraulic modeling being submitted with the DEP permit application, the pond "could reduce flooding on the northern side of the mini ditch by about 30%," he said, and could "totally contain" certain lower‑intensity events on the southern side. Greg cautioned that the pond is not designed to stop large, infrequent floods driven by the much larger Beaver Dam branch: "the volume of water for the hundred year is gonna be almost 300... acre‑feet," he said, and contrasted that with the pond's base volume ("I wanna say 18 acre feet") to underline that the pond slows and stores smaller events rather than capturing a 100‑year flood.

Manager Mark said engineers will submit the DEP permit application for the Gaysport project by the end of the month; once submitted, DEP has 90 days to respond. The borough plans to include phase 1 reports with the application and to request that phase 2 not be required if the supporting materials justify that approach. Mark also said the borough applied to PennDOT's Transportation Alternatives program for a separate East End corridor project—$1.4 million for curb, sidewalk and traffic‑calming measures—and expects a decision by spring.

Residents at the meeting raised maintenance concerns for the mini ditch and the downstream culvert. One resident asked whether keeping the channel clean and deeper might reduce the local impact; Greg said a clearer channel would move water faster toward the culvert, which itself is a bottleneck, and noted there are currently no plans to change that culvert.

The ISC and borough staff said planting and habitat work will occur in spring and summer, and that the DEP permit process will determine whether additional engineering phases are required before construction can proceed. Council scheduled further updates as permit reviews and seasonal work progress.