Panel brings together elected officials, community associations, government representatives and business leaders
PPL’s Lake Wallenpaupack Public Advisory Committee — which brings together elected officials, community associations, government representatives and local business leaders — is making steady progress on several issues that impact the quality of life of residents in the lake region.
“PPL believes in working with the communities we serve. We realized that we needed to do a better job listening to the people, local groups and elected officials who have an interest in Lake Wallenpaupack,” said Paul Canevari, PPL’s regional community relations director. “We re-established the Lake Wallenpaupack Public Advisory Committee to give our neighbors in the lake region a forum to share their concerns directly with us.”
Since forming in November, the committee has addressed issues related to fees for shoreline licensing agreements and permits. The committee also has worked on improving public notification in the event of an unplanned water release.
In addition, the committee has addressed concerns regarding insurance requirements for use of PPL land and resolved complaints about winter dock storage and gasoline tank requirements.
Still, PPL and the committee members recognize this is just a start. The committee and the company have much more to do.
“While we haven’t resolved all the issues, we’re making progress, and I’m encouraged that PPL has opened a meaningful dialogue to improve emergency communications and establish flood mitigation measures,” said Tom Zeterberg of The Lackawaxen River Conservancy.
The committee continues to review various issues that affect shoreline management and the future environmental and economic viability of Lake Wallenpaupack such as flood mitigation, permitting and emergency communication.
“It’s been very beneficial to bring all the interested parties together so we can work at resolving the issues that impact our community,” said Richard Caridi, vice chairman of the Pike County Commissioners and a member of the Lake Wallenpaupack committee.
Caridi’s sentiments are echoed by fellow committee members Eric Ehrhardt, Palmyra Township supervisor, and John Carney, community manager of Wallenpaupack Lake Estates Property Owners Association, who expressed appreciation for the spirit of cooperation the company has shown toward the community.
“We appreciate the fact that PPL took the initiative to create the advisory committee and has been willing to hear and address our concerns,” said Ehrhardt, who helped re-establish the committee.
According to Carney, changes in the dock permitting process raised frustrations among residents and commercial dock operators in the region, and sparked discussions to revive the committee.
The company worked with Wallenpaupack Lake Estates POA and other community organizations to raise awareness of the changes. A consensus on the license agreements and fees was reached at the committee’s monthly meeting on Thursday.
“Once PPL opened the lines of communication, we began moving in the right direction,” Carney said. “We’re now working on a number of issues that will benefit the lake region and the communities downstream.”
PPL completed construction of the Wallenpaupack dam and power plant, located along the Lackawaxen River, in 1926. In addition to its capacity to generate 44 megawatts of electricity, the 5,700-acre man-made lake plays a critical role in regional water management and is a popular location for year-round outdoor recreation. Camping, hiking, fishing, boating and water-skiing are just some of the attractions.
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls more than 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.