Ten years after the remnants of Hurricane Ivan passed through Butler County, Butler continues to improve its flood control.

About 4.7 inches of rain poured down on the city on Sept. 17-18, 2004. The heavy storm came about a week after the remnants of Hurricane Frances dumped about 3.9 inches on city streets.

Flooding in the city was not as bad as in other parts of the county, but it certainly left a mark.

“Obviously it could have been a lot worse,” said former Mayor Leonard Pintell, who was in office at that time. “But it was pretty substantial. It posed quite a problem.”

The area around Sullivan Run flooded during the storms. Flooding there wasn’t uncommon during heavy rainstorms then, but Pintell said it was likely the worst he remembers in the city.

“I think it was the biggest flood that I remember,” Pintell said.

Houses along the run, specifically around West Cunningham and West New Castle streets, had basements flooded with a couple feet of water.

John Evans, city building code official and engineer coordinator, said three city bridges spanning Sullivan Run were flooded.

“At the worst point, it was probably around two feet,” Evans said of the flooding on the bridges.

He added it is the only time in his two-decades with the city that he remembers all three bridges flooding.

Pintell said the fire department had to shut off utilities in many of the flooded homes. One particular concern was the water extinguishing the pilot lights of gas heaters.

The fire department assisted landowners by pumping out basements and helping clear water and debris from flooded streets.

“They worked through the evening and night,” Pintell said.

City police as well as the streets and the parks departments helped prevent traffic from attempting to cross flooded streets.

“It was total cooperation between all four departments,” Pintell said.

The city also had flooding on the Butler Athletic Field and near the Kittanning Street Bridge — two areas on the edge of the city’s flood plain.

Flooding near Kittanning Street caused perhaps the biggest headache for city officials as the streets department building at 301 Kittanning St. filled with about 6 feet of water.

The flood caused about $170,000 worth of damage to two 2.5-ton dump trucks, two 1-ton dump trucks, a trailer and other equipment.

Much of the cost was covered by insurance, but the city did have to pay to repair some of the damage, Pintell said. FEMA also reimbursed the city $50,000 for vehicle repairs.

Pintell said the city was not prepared for the unexpected flooding near Kittanning Street.

“I think that was a surprise,” he said.

But Pintell said there were no injuries from flooding in the city, and none of the homes were condemned.

Pintell was particularly impressed with the determination of the city’s residents during the flood.

“There was no panic,” he said. “They did what they had to do and coped with it. They made the best of it.”

While much of Sullivan Run flooded over its banks into the streets, part of the waterway was contained through a previous floodplain project.

Evans said two U-channels were installed on the northern side of the run in the city from Miller Avenue to Brady Street. The concrete channel raised the flood level of the run and prevented water from spilling over the edge.

“It functioned perfectly,” Evans said.

The city hopes to continue work on the waterway’s flood plain next year with two bridge replacement projects.

The city is working with the state Department of Transportation to widen the West Cunningham and West New Castle Street bridges over the run.

Sullivan Run beneath the bridges will be widened, increasing its water flow.

Evans hopes those projects will begin next spring.

“Both those projects will help reduce the likelihood of flooding,” Evans said.

The city has been waiting nearly two decades for the projects, which originally were part of a state Department of Environmental Protection plan.

Evans said the wait was worth it because the state Department of Transportation will cover 80 percent of the cost for the city’s West New Castle Street bridge in addition to replacing the state-owned West Cunningham Street bridge.

While the bridge project should help with flooding, Evans said he has other hopes for Sullivan Run as well.

One of them is the removal of two 48-inch culverts near Negley Avenue. The culverts are owned by AK Steel and were used for easy access across the waterway.

The culverts may restrict the water flow of the run. Maps from FEMA show the run’s flood plain begins to greatly expand just north of the culverts.

Evans said work in the flood plain zone of Sullivan Run is an important project for the city.

“Our goal is to continue forward with flood control and reduce the impact heavy storms have on the city,” he said.