Clarks Summit, PA

Practical resilience for a relocator: food, water, energy, and defensibility

Clarks Summit’s practical resilience is strongest in water and food access, moderate in energy, and good in defensibility. The borough’s public water supply comes from the Scranton Water Authority, which draws from the Lackawanna River and several reservoirs in the Poconos, but many homes in the surrounding Abington Township area have private wells tapping into the Catskill Formation aquifer, which yields 10-50 gallons per minute at typical depths of 100-300 feet. This groundwater is generally clean and requires only basic filtration (sediment and UV) for potability. For off-grid water, the nearby Lackawanna River flows year-round at an average of 200 cubic feet per second, and there are numerous small streams and springs in the state game lands—though you’ll need a permit for significant diversion. Food resilience is strong due to the region’s agricultural history: Lackawanna County has about 200 farms, with many in the surrounding valleys producing hay, corn, and vegetables. The Clarks Summit Farmers Market (June-October) and local CSAs like the Abington Community Garden provide seasonal produce, and the area’s growing season (last frost mid-May, first frost early October) allows for a solid 140-day gardening window. Deer are abundant in the state game lands, with a population density of about 20-30 per square mile, and small game like turkey and squirrel are common. Energy resilience is the weakest link: the grid is served by PPL Electric Utilities, which has a history of outages from ice storms and wind events—the 2021 ice storm left 10,000 customers in Lackawanna County without power for up to 5 days. Solar potential is moderate, with an average of 4.2 peak sun hours per day (slightly below the national average of 4.5), but the region’s frequent cloud cover (about 180 cloudy days per year) reduces solar reliability in winter. Wood heating is a strong option, with abundant hardwood forests (oak, maple, cherry) within a 10-mile radius, and many homes already have wood stoves or fireplaces. Defensibility is good: the borough’s layout on a ridge with limited road access (only two main routes: US 6/11 and PA 407) creates natural chokepoints, and the surrounding hills provide good observation points. The community is small enough that neighbors know each other, and there are active volunteer fire departments and a local police force, but the area is not gated or fortified—it’s a typical small town where social cohesion is the primary security asset.

The overall strategic picture for Clarks Summit is one of moderate-to-high resilience for a relocator who is willing to invest in backup energy and food storage. The area’s natural advantages—elevation, water abundance, and a defensible terrain—are offset by its proximity to regional targets like the Tobyhanna Army Depot and the Berwick nuclear plant, which introduce a non-trivial risk of fallout or secondary effects in a major conflict. For everyday disasters (winter storms, grid outages), the borough is well-positioned, with strong community networks and access to local resources. The biggest gap is energy independence: without a wood stove, solar array, or generator, a relocator would be vulnerable to the region’s frequent power outages. For a family or individual who prioritizes self-sufficiency and is comfortable with cold winters, Clarks Summit offers a solid base—just be prepared to dig a well, stack firewood, and keep a close eye on wind patterns if the worst happens. It’s not a fortress, but it’s a defensible, resource-rich location that balances access to the Northeast with a reasonable degree of strategic depth.