Maryland Says It Intends To Deny Permit To Continue Operating Conowingo Dam

Map of Maryland highlighting Cecil County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A week after a report found that dams in Lancaster County and Maryland are no longer trapping polluting farm and urban stormwater runoff, the Maryland Department of the Environment says it plans to deny a water-quality permit renewal to the Conowingo Dam.

Exelon, the owner of the hydroelectric dam on the Susquehanna River in Cecil County, Maryland, has been seeking relicensing renewal from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The dam also needs a water-quality permit from Maryland to operate.

The state’s Department of the Environment says Exelon hasn’t fully supported its contention that the dam’s reduced ability to trap sediment is not harming the Chesapeake Bay, about 10 miles downriver, the Associated Press reported.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/maryland-says-it-intends-to-deny-permit-to-continue-operating/article_c91f5770-7198-11e4-bd9a-071fc8f2b5d3.html

April Showers Swamp Region, Trigger Flooding

The rains came heavy Tuesday into Wednesday as if all those metaphorical April showers waited until the last day of the month to show up.

It all started when a low-pressure front slinked into the region Tuesday and started dumping rain into the area to the point that by 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, a United States Geological Survey rain gauge along the Schuylkill River had recorded nearly 5 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

And, as you might expect, the result was creeks bursting their banks — along with the Schuylkill River they ultimately feed — and flooded roads, and then trapping some motorists on those roads after they tried to drive through the water.

One of at least four “water rescues” in the area occurred on Bethel Church Road in East Coventry when a small blue sedan stalled in a deep swell of water on the road.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140430/april-showers-swamp-region-trigger-flooding

Architect Plans $5 Million, 7-Story Condominium Project In Downtown Lancaster

Three decades after building Steeplehouse Square, architect John de Vitry again is building condominiums in downtown Lancaster.

Magnolia Place, a seven-story building he wants to build at North Duke and East Chestnut streets, would be the first entirely new downtown residential project since Steeplehouse opened in 1982.

The 13-unit building would replace the building on the northeast corner of the intersection, which was built as a gas station and later served as a law office.

De Vitry and his partners hope to begin construction of the $5 million-plus project in October, with occupancy of the units by September 2014.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/860653_Architect-plans–5-million–7-story-condominium-project-in-downtown-Lancaster-.html#ixzz2W7xdrWlt

Perry Township Panel Rejects Preliminary Plans For Industrial Park

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Perry Township residents burst into applause Wednesday night when the township planning commission voted unanimously to deny approval of preliminary plans to turn the Perry Golf Course into an industrial park.

More than 75 residents were packed into the small meeting room for the session, which was preceded by a small-scale demonstration.

Many of those who demonstrated were residents of Zions Church Road, which the developers have planned on using as the entry point for the industrial park.

Several carried signs that urged moving the entrance to the proposed industrial park to Zweizig Road from Zions Church Road.

Matt Clymer, of Key Development Group, Chester County, the group pursuing the industrial park, said the decision wasn’t unexpected.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=474646

Rooftop Gardens Spring Up In The Pee Dee

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — If agave, yucca and asparagus plants slowly waking up from winter atop the facilities building at the Moore Farms Botanical Gardens building in Lake City had faces — you know, like those pansies and roses in “Alice in Wonderland” — they’d doubtless be full of surprise and wonder.

Which would make them a perfect match for looks they receive from the people down below.

Plants on the roof? A gable garden? What the heck is going on?

The 6,000-square foot green roof at the Moore facility, the garden center built by Lake City philanthropist Darla Moore last January.  It is one of a handful of new “green roofs” that are springing up in the Pee Dee.  They are part of a national experiment in green building design.  The roofs can save money and help mitigate environmental impact by cutting down on energy use and mitigating storm water runoff.

The J.L. McMillan Federal Building in Florence and the McNair Science Building at Francis Marion University are also experimenting with green roofs.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/home/Rooftop_gardens_spring_up_in_the_Pee_Dee.html

PPL Plan To Level Trees Has Lancaster Residents Bewildered, Upset

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the tree cutters arrive in August, 31 homeowners in the Eden Manor neighborhood of Lancaster city fear they essentially will be losing their backyards.

The 50-year-old homes, on Princess Anne Drive off Pitney Road, border a high-voltage power line that was built before the neighborhood.

Unfortunately for the homeowners, PPL has adopted a stricter policy of keeping its rights of way free of trees.

Trees that once were allowed to grow because they were not underneath the wires must now be taken down.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/666456_PPL-plan-to-level-trees-has-residents-bewildered–upset.html#ixzz1xUyKOCJS