WILKES-BARRE -- Officials plan to meet on Monday to try to figure out what to do about the Solomon Creek flood wall in Wilkes-Barre after a portion of the wall fell into the water.
Through the decades, Solomon Creek in Wilkes-Barre has caused a flood of trouble. High water has damaged nearby homes time and again.
Neighbors are worried because part of the flood wall along Brook Street is falling down. Friday night, a 40-foot section of stones tumbled into the water.
"That wall out there is very dangerous, very dangerous, because if the water comes up, there is not place for it to go besides the streets here," said Rich Williams of Wilkes-Barre.
Crews put tarps and sandbags in place as a band-aid. Newswatch 16 was there as city officials returned to check what's left of the wall between Barney and Waller Streets.
"This has been a public safety issue for a long, long time. It just continues to get worse. We have some genuine concerns about the neighborhood," said Chief Jay Delaney, Wilkes-Barre Fire Department.
Before the collapse, the city hired a contractor to start some repairs next week. Now those plans may change.
Officials believe the wall was built during the 1930s. While it has been repaired over the years, they say now it really needs to be replaced.
Ted Wampole, the city administrator, warns the work could be expensive and complicated.
"The problem with it is there are service lines in the creek bed, so you have communication lines, you have storm water lines, you have gas and water, who knows if that entire wall collapses what that means for those service lines," Wampole said.
It could cost $12 million to replace the wall. The city will be reaching out to lawmakers to find the money.