Pittsburgh's Point State Park reopens after "unprecedented" flooding cleanup
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Point State Park is back open after it was flooded twice in less than two weeks.
Facilities reopened on Friday after what the park's manager called an "unprecedented cleanup effort." The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said employees from several state parks and state forests helped with cleanup, along with Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps members.
Pittsburgh's three rivers reached flood levels of more than 28 feet on April 2, which, according to the National Weather Service, was the highest level Point State Park has experienced in 20 years. The rivers swallowed the fountain and even crept up onto the lawn. Then on April 13, another round of flooding raised the water levels to nearly 26 feet.
"Because it is such an iconic representation of the city, Pittsburghers look forward to the return of the Point State Park fountain as one of the signs of spring, and we'll be prepared when it comes time to flip the switch as is usually done at the beginning of May," said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams in a news release.
The department says after the big cleanup, Point State Park will be ready for a busy spring and summer of events.
So far this month, Pittsburgh has seen 7.84 inches of precipitation, which is 5.87 inches above normal, the National Weather Service said. At this time last year, the area had seen less than an inch, so if you think this April is much wetter, you're not wrong.
