As we learned in the Thursday, March 27, edition of the Butler Eagle, one resident is getting discouraged at the lack of progress to stop flooding on Herman Road in Summit Township.

Chuck Montag, Summit Township resident and president of the Summit Township Sportsman Club, says Herman Road floods several times a year and he has tried multiple times to have the problem addressed.

When he went to Summit Township, he was told Herman Road is a state road and therefore PennDOT is responsible for the work. But when he spoke to PennDOT, he was told because the flooding is caused by a stream that flows in a culvert under the road, they also aren’t able to fix it.

Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10 said work has been done to try and keep the stream clear, but dredging or removing debris is outside the department’s jurisdiction.

“Herman Road is not scheduled for any major reconstruction projects which would essentially be the only option available to PennDOT to permanently address the flooding,” she said.

That leaves it unclear who, if anyone, would be able to fix the flooding.

It would be funny if it weren’t a serious problem. If it’s a problem with the stream and not the road, why isn’t Summit Township responsible?

If the flooding is being caused by the culvert, which is part of the road, why isn’t PennDOT able to fix it?

Montag is not hopeful that the flooding will be addressed, even though he thinks an engineer would see the problem and be able to fix it quickly.

We commend his patience and dedication and we call on both PennDOT and Summit Township to help solve the flooding before it causes damage to the road.

—JK