On Monday, the Lancaster Township Board of Supervisors recommended that the county commissioners adopt a report detailing the Lower Connoquenessing Watershed and projects that could stem the tide of flooding in recent years.

The report, which was prepared by the Herbert, Rowland & Grubic engineering firm for the county and 10 municipalities, suggests possible projects in 33 “problem areas” identified by the individual municipalities.

Alongside Lancaster, the participating municipalities included Adams, Cranberry, Forward, Jackson and Penn townships as well as Evans City, Harmony, Seven Fields and Zelienople.

The HRG report recommended a number of countywide actions, including the amendment of the county's Act 167 stormwater management plan and the editing of municipal stormwater management ordinances.

In addition, HRG suggested some projects in Harmony, Jackson Township and Zelienople for implementation. Those projects include improvements in the Glade Run watershed as well as the “Swampoodle” area in Harmony.

Lancaster identified three problem areas: along Little Yellow Creek, Little Creek and West Lancaster roads, located in the Little Yellow Creek, Little Connoquenessing Creek and Scholars Run watersheds, respectively.Along Little Yellow Creek Road, HRG identified the main causes of flooding as the lack of capacity in the drainage pipe and small elevation difference between the stream channel and the roadway.The suggested project in that area includes raising the affected portions of the roadway and installing or replacing culverts and other drainage facilities. HRG estimated the planning-level cost of that project to be between $2 million and $4 million, with between 1,500 and 2,000 feet of roadway and adjacent streambed being affected.Little Creek Road had similar causes for flooding in the area, as HRG identified a deteriorating culvert as the cause of the flooding. Additionally, the culvert has no “upstream or downstream facilities and/or roadway/streambank protection.”The engineering firm also noted the small elevation difference between the roadway and the multi-barrel culvert — which is constructed of two 24-inch plastic pipes — as a difficulty in managing flooding as well as a natural gas pipeline installed nearby.HRG's proposed project along Little Creek Road includes culvert replacement, the installation of appropriate culvert entry and exit facilities and stream channel improvement and stabilization. Planning-level cost estimates for that project ranges from $75,000 to $150,000.

HRG suggested a similar project along West Lancaster Road, where Scholars Run passes under the road east of Rose Lane. The project recommended a culvert replacement and roadway and streambank stabilization, with planning-level cost estimates of between $65,000 and $150,000.The board unanimously passed the resolution recommending county commissioners adopt the report without much discussion.Daniel Cox commended the township on taking part in the study.“I attended (county chief of planning and development) Mark Gordon's meeting on that kickoff more than a year ago, with the county economic development office getting that process started,” said Cox, who coordinates the emergency management agency representing some municipalities neighboring Lancaster. “I was really thankful to see the township participate with the other municipalities in that.“One of the things we identified during the 2030 comprehensive plan vision meetings was runoff and flood management and so forth, so I'm happy to see the township taking steps toward that,” he said.