County approves flooding study
As a result of the collaboration between the county and 10 municipalities, relief for communities that see regular flooding is on the horizon.
The Butler County commissioners at their Wednesday meeting approved the Lower Connoquenessing Stormwater Planning study compiled by the engineering firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic.
The multimunicipal study has been in the works since discussion on flooding issues began in 2018.
Ben Gilberti, group manager of civil engineering at HRG, said cooperation among the 10 municipalities is more likely to produce results to abate the county's flooding than “pointing fingers and throwing rocks” between municipal leaders on what needs to be done in each township or borough.
The municipalities involved in the collaborative effort are Adams, Jackson, Forward, Lancaster, Penn and Cranberry townships, plus the boroughs of Zelienople, Harmony, Seven Fields and Evans City.
Many of those municipalities' supervisors or councils already have approved the report and recommended the county commissioners approve it, which they did Wednesday.
The report estimates that $10.5 million in work will be required to alleviate the stormwater runoff problems that cause flooding of the Connoquenessing, Breakneck, Glade Run and other creeks.
Gilberti said the report has two facets: to have the state Department of Environmental Protection approve an alteration of the county's 2010 flood plan, and to decide which projects are needed to alleviate the recurrent flooding in the participating municipalities.
He said prioritizing the projects could depend on location, development status, size or other factors.
Costs for projects recommended in the study include:
• $2 million to $4 million for flooding on Mars-Valencia Road in Adams Township
• $2 million to $4 million for flooding on Little Yellow Creek Road in Lancaster Township
• $2.6 million to $4 million for flooding on East Main Street in Renfrew, Penn Township
• $900,000 to $1.2 million for work on Evergreen Mill Road in Jackson Township
• $600,000 to $900,000 at the Johns School Road Bridge in Forward Township.
Gilberti said the next step is tackling funding for the projects, which he hopes to achieve through grants and help from the county infrastructure bank.Another recommendation made in the study is to reduce the stormwater release rate in the municipalities to 90%, meaning developments there would be required to keep 10% of the runoff from their properties contained.Gilberti said the release rate restriction should not affect development in the municipalities.Commissioner Kim Geyer said she is excited to see so many municipalities collaborating to solve a problem in the county.She said municipal leaders will now feel comfortable contacting one another to share ideas or ask for help.“I think it's so powerful to have that network,” Geyer said.She said she hopes other municipalities will join in the collaboration when the projects begin.Leslie Osche, commissioners chairwoman, pledged that the county will work with its planning department and HRG to get the projects done.“This is an example of good government at work,” Osche said.Commissioner Kevin Boozel said he believes DEP will approve amending the county flood plan because multimunicipal collaborations are appreciated at the state level.He said the report likely will need to be adapted as growth and development occur over the next decade.Gilberti said forward motion is needed to achieve the plan's goals.“We want to keep it moving, so it doesn't become a study that remains on the shelf,” he said.
