PORT CARBON — The desire to not see more 2006-style flooding had people out at the Port Carbon Borough Hall on Wednesday.
The borough of about 2,100 people was inundated with water during the flood of 2006, which caused more than $500,000 in damages. Mike Welsh, a borough council member and fire chief, said about half of the town was underwater. He had 5 feet of water in his basement.
About 75 people filled the room for a presentation by Alfred Benesch & Co., Pottsville, about the watershed plan for the borough. The borough was awarded a $120,258 Growing Greener II Grant from the state last January for the watershed plan. Residents got to ask questions after the presentation. The yet-to-be-finalized plan spells out where the borough is in the watershed and how to possibly address flooding issues. The plan will be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection this year.
“The goal is to lessen the effect of the flood,” Christopher Bentz, project manager with Benesch, said.
The first half of the presentation Benesch employees Bentz, Jennifer M. Kowalonek, project engineer for the plan and James Tohill, project engineer who is also the engineer for the borough, talk about the different things the borough can do to alleviate flooding. They said the borough is also at the mercy of what happens up stream. Mill Creek and the Schuylkill River both flow through the borough. What happens in other municipalities affects the borough in regards to water runoff and other such things.
“There is not just going to be one solution to all of your problems,” Kowalonek said.
She said the plan is about 50 percent complete after speaking with residents, borough personnel and doing research and calculations.
The topics discussed included preventative actions that can be done to reduce the risk of a flood, structural changes to control when a flood does happen, acquiring property that is impacted by flooding or could cause flooding, the construction of natural manmade features that can reduce flooding and the importance of educating the public.
Few details were provided during the meeting about the costs for the alternatives. Six preventative measures that could be taken to alleviate flooding include land use planning, erosion and sedimentation control, stream maintenance, street sweeping/pipe cleaning, illegal discharge elimination and a flood plain moratorium.
Six structural changes were mentioned at the meeting: a bypass from Mill Creek, a flood wall through the borough, sanitary sewer manhole removal from the Schuylkill River and Mill Creek, realigning a channel near Coal and Acre streets and stormwater management in the borough and outside of the borough.
The bypass from Mill Creek would involve boring a hole through Rabbit Hill that runs near Route 209. Kowalonek said that could involve where there is a bend in Mill Creek before Rose Alley to reroute some of that flow through a pipe or a channel and through Rabbit Hill and back into the Schuylkill River.
“This is very conceptual. We are not there yet,” she said about such an decision.
Tohill agreed.
“We are still looking at options,” he said.
After the meeting, she said, the potential cost for a bypass could be “millions of dollars.”
Flood walls also could prove costly. There are seven bridges in the community and a 14 flood wall gates would be have to be built (one on each side of the bridge) at each of the bridge and additional work done. Bentz said that could be “estimated above $10 million.”
She said the changes that are needed will take time.
“It’s a big project,” she said.
In terms of property, she said acquisition of property by the borough is not a preferred method but needs to be included in the plan. The natural resources could involve marshes to capture excess water during heavy rain events. She stressed the input from the public is important in the success.
“We need the public to be involved,” she said.
One woman asked if steps were taken if flooding would guarantee there would be no flooding in the borough.
“Unfortunately not, no,” Bentz said.
One resident expressed concern for mosquitoes if marshes were to be chosen to reduce flooding. Others questioned the cost for such efforts.
“It doesn’t matter what we do,” one resident said, adding some potential flooding is out of the control of the borough and its residents.
Kowalonek said the borough can continue to take steps to address the issue such as removing debris from Mill Creek.
Regardless of what decision is made, the borough will need to do maintenance to lessen the chance for flooding.
Kowalonek said an additional meeting will be held with borough residents this summer.
Dwayne Borowski, a borough resident, said he liked the ideas he heard.
“Anything will help,” he said.
Living next to Mill Creek, he’s “always on edge,” regarding the water level.
Scott Krater, borough emergency management coordinator for the borough, had the same sentiment.
“Anything is an improvement. It’s better than the alternative. The alternative is flooding,” he said.
Mayor Chuck Joy said he was impressed with the people who attended and got involved because of flooding. He said the borough removed debris in Mill Creek last year.
“We are the center of it all,” he said about the merging of Mill Creek and the Schuylkill River.
Ray Steranko, council president, agreed the propensity for flooding is not going to be solved overnight.
“We have something on paper now that we can look at,” he said of possible ways to address any unwanted water.
Kowalonek said after submitting the plan to DEP, the next step would be applying for grants.
“Right now, unfortunately, there is no endless supply of money,” she said.
The borough might also have to contribute some money when it comes to the next phase of the plan. It has contributed about $24,000 so far, officials said.