Harmony to join neighbors for solutions to excess stormwater
HARMONY — The borough is looking to join several local municipalities to form a stormwater authority to help manage flooding and excess water in the area.
“We are downstream of everybody’s stormwater,” said council president Greg Such. “We get the worst of the water … This is basically a way to help us continue to comply with regulatory commands.”
The borough has received multiple grants, including a $900,000 grant for the maintenance of Spring Street leading up to the creek.
Currently the borough has $30,000 set aside in the budget to deal with flooding.
One of the grants Harmony received was a joint grant with Evans City, Zelienople and Jackson Township to look into long-term solutions for stormwater management.
“The direction we’re heading is developing is a stormwater authority that the four communities would be part of,” Such said. “Anybody upstream would also be able to join as well.”
The joint authority would be funded by a fee based on the amount of impervious property landowners hold, according to Such.
“The fee will be something like $4 a month for the residents,” Such said. “But the churches and industries and not-for profits will be assessed the fee.”
The exact fee has not been set, according to Such, but said it will likely be in the $4 or $5 range for homes that have less than 4,000 square feet of impervious property.
“If you have 4,000 square feet of impervious you’ll pay the same” Such said. “But if you have a McMansion and basketball courts and tennis courts, you might end up paying more.”
Implementing the joint authority will likely take three to six months, according to Such, as the municipalities try to iron out the details.
Such said that the joint authority, will likely use 85% of the funds for capital projects and the other 15% on maintenance projects.
“There will be a capital plan that’s developed and every other year it will be reviewed,” he said.
Such said he believes that the borough is going to ask for a resolution to be accepted next month.
