GORDON - The borough has suffered increased flooding during heavy rains in recent months and officials want to meet with businesses and public agencies to discuss the problem.
Donald M. Cuff, project manager with Entech Engineering Inc., spoke at Tuesday's special meeting of Gordon Borough Council about stormwater runoff reaching Birch Street, an area which had not had frequent problems with water in the past.
Borough Manager Paul Snyder said Cuff was invited to provide information.
"A meeting or so ago we talked about the flooding at the bottom of town and Mr. Cuff and myself spent about three hours down there and looked at the area," Snyder said.
"There has been a long history of flooding within the borough and I think all would agree that it has gotten worse over time," Cuff said. "There have been specific instances where there has been damage done to public and private property, but it seems like now the area that is being affected is growing as well, specifically the bottom of Birch Street. It doesn't (need) much of an investigation to see that I believe it's a combination of some PennDOT issues, as well as some issues related to the railroad."
Cuff asked for permission to set up a meeting with representatives from PennDOT, Reading and Northern Railroad, Schuylkill Conservation District and Schuylkill Economic Development Corp.
"I'd like to coordinate a meeting with those agencies to discuss the problem and to discuss with them about the facts as this problem has progressed," Cuff said. "This is a history that goes back to the '70s and before that there were flooding issues in the borough, but they occur more frequently now and during less intense rains. That is an indication of an upstream problem, since there has been no real change in the borough proper."
He said the only change is from runoff from a creek called Rattling Run that brings water off the Gordon Mountain and has seen increases due to residential development at the mountain.
Council President Michael Rader asked if additional development higher up on the mountain is adding to the problems.
"Absolutely. I think that's why SEDCO needs to be called to the meeting," Cuff said. "I think we need to talk about Highridge. Once again, at this point in time, there has been a significant amount of development and the question is are the original facilities performing as they were originally intended, and is there any indication that further improvements have to be made?
"Regardless of what the conclusions are with the analysis, the reality in the borough is that the situation is continuing to get worse, there is a good likelihood that there would be further damage done, and I think now is the time to get the parties together, see if there is any short-term corrective plans, specifically coordination between PennDOT and the railroad to see what it would take to get the flow to the creek (Little Mahanoy Creek) as efficiently as possible, and in the long-term what upstream improvements can be made to detain or reroute the flow."
Cuff said it will take some coordination for a daytime meeting, which would include as many council members as possible. The process would also involve getting information together on flooding.
"I think that is excellent. Do you think PEMA (Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency) would participate?" Rader asked of Mayor Nick Troutman, who is an aide to state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23.
"I don't know if we want to go there," Troutman said. "As long as PennDOT and the conservation district will be there, along with the railroad."
"I absolutely agree," Cuff said. "They (railroad) have to be brought to the meeting in one form or another to have representation because their property is involved in the ability to discharge into the creek."
The borough council gave approval for Cuff to begin to organize the meeting.
After the meeting, Cuff said the last flooding event occurred at Birch Street two to three months ago. The extent of the flooding had not been seen before during a storm that was not heavy.
"The thought is that something is changing in the watershed that is now directing water down that street," Cuff said. "And in order for that area to drain, the water must pass through a swale that is lacking maintenance by PennDOT."
The swale is located on McKnight Street, which is state Route 4007. The water must also pass through an opening underneath the railroad bed which needs maintenance.
"It looks like it might be additional flows coming down the mountain and the inability of the water to get to the creek," Cuff said. "I think it's time to get everybody together to see if something on the short term that can be done to reopen the channels, and then take a look at this watershed, because it seems like the less-intense storms are causing problems to the borough. It just seems like more volume of water is coming down."
He added, "There's no finger-pointing here. This is solely just to see if we can sit down and come up with a solution. The one area that hasn't changed is the borough, but it's the one that is seeing the most impact."
Cuff said that while there are stormwater runoff systems incorporated into the Schuylkill Highridge Business Park development projects over the years, it may be time to revisit those systems.
"I can see a meeting evolving into some site visits, and that's why I want to utilize the conservation district because that's their forte as well," Cuff said.