July Flooding around Wildey and American Streets

 Some neighbors experienced significant basement flooding from the heavy storm on July 23. To our knowledge, this was the first major storm-related flooding since 2004.How it happened: The stormwater drains became overloaded, and because the Delaware River was unusually high, some of the overflow didn't go out into the river. Instead it backed up into low-lying properties with sinks, toilets, or other open drains in their basements.Why it happened: Water Dept. reps say it was an unusual combination of factors: (1) Saturated ground from lots of prior rain. (2) Very high river levels from prior rains, high tide, and the cycle of the moon (which made it the highest high tide of the month). (3) More than 2 inches of rain in an hour, and more than 8 inches over the course of the storm (areas outside Philly got less than 4 inches total). Areas to our north, notably Port Richmond, got hit even harder.They also reiterated what other Water Dept. reps told us at an NLNA General Meeting earlier this year: They are in the process of upgrading the major stormwater pipes, from the Delaware River, up through NL and Kensington. This should reduce the chances of future flooding. —