Wyoming Valley Levee portals open

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Both Wyoming Valley Levee portals along the River Common in Wilkes-Barre have reopened, said county Christopher Belleman, executive director of the county Flood Protection Authority that oversees the Susquehanna River flood-control system.

Gates have been up since December, but not to hold back the river. Instead, authority officials have used the gates as a safety precaution to prevent the public from unknowingly encountering high water.

With the river level at about 6 feet and continuing to recede, Belleman said the authority wanted to remove the closures “in support of residents’ spring recreational activities. “

“Hopefully the very busy weather pattern we experienced in late winter to early spring is behind us,” Belleman said in his email communication.

In addition to the Millennium Circle and Northampton portals, the authority has reopened pedestrian access in the flood wall along Riverside Drive in South Wilkes-Barre, he said.

Visit Luzerne County is set to hold a media announcement on Thursday at the Millennium Circle Portal to announce this year’s music lineup for the popular free “Rockin’ the River” July concert series at the riverfront park in Wilkes-Barre.

The county launched the concert series in July 2019, and it has attracted crowds ranging from 3,000 to nearly 6,000.