Pottsville putting plans in place to address flooding while businessman calls for action

Sep. 16—POTTSVILLE — City officials are asking for continued patience from business owners as they work on a plan to eliminate flooding in a section of downtown during heavy rains.

Diverting stormwater from the area is tied to the larger federally mandated requirements for municipalities to separate combined sewer and stormwater systems.

Ian H. Lipton, director of the board of the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority, said an Act 537 Sewage Facilities Program proposal was submitted to the state Department of Environmental Protection but was not approved because additional information was needed.

A resubmission is expected within a month, he said last week.

The original proposal called for separation of stormwater and sewer lines for the most affected areas between Ninth Street and Progress Avenue, to include the area of West Market and Second streets prone to flooding.

However, he said DEP wants an area from 19th Street to Progress completed at one time.

"It's a huge project, and DEP would not accept anything partial," Lipton said.

Once DEP approves the separation plan, the authority is ready to proceed.

"We can pull the trigger and start in 90 days," Lipton said.

In response to the flooding in recent years, Light-Heigel & Associates Inc. sent letters to property owners in the Market Street basin in June making them aware that representatives would be doing a door-to-door survey on behalf of the authority to verify the location of sewer laterals.

Meanwhile, Joseph Drasdis III, owner of Drasdis & Son clothing store at Second and West Market streets, said Wednesday he is happy the city and the sewer authority are working to address the problem, but at the same time, he is upset it is taking so long.

"We've been hearing this for four years," he said. "Enough is enough."

His is among the businesses affected when downpours flooded Second Street on several occasions over the past few years and as recently as July 25.

One part of solution?

City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said the city council at its meeting Monday night received a proposal from engineering firm Alfred Benesch & Co. that would take the combined stormwater and sewer line coming down Norwegian Street, separate the stormwater line and have it go straight at the intersection with Second Street. That would eliminate that water flowing down Second toward West Market and the area that has repeatedly flooded.

The separated stormwater line would continue east and dump into Norwegian Creek, which runs under Progress Avenue.

With the current infrastructure, "You can't expect the pipes to handle any large amounts of water when we get several inches of rain quickly," Palamar said.

That work, however, would have to wait for the authority's larger separation project.

"What we're doing is getting ready with a plan of our own that we can put in place once they (the sewer authority) finalize their plans," Palamar said.

He said channeling water away from the troubled areas would probably not entirely eliminate flooding.

"We're dealing with Mother Nature," he said. "We're getting crazy weather, and I think we will get that crazy weather more often than we did in the past."

Thomas Whitaker, city streets department superintendent, said it's not just the volume of rain but how quickly it falls.

"When a system becomes overloaded, the water will find somewhere to go," he said.

He cited storms on the weekend of Sept. 9-10 that produced a lot of rainfall but there was no flooding because the rain fell over a more extended period of time.

Palamar believes the prior installation of a collection basin under West Market Street impedes the flow of stormwater and is part of the problem in that area.

"When this backs up, the water has to find a place to go, and water always takes the easiest path," he said.

Mayor Dave Clews said cameras were put through the stormwater lines on West Market Street from Progress Avenue to Second Street and no blockages or damage was found.

"There could have been something blocking the pipe that broke free, but I doubt that," Clews said. "The camera didn't show anything that would make you say, 'Wow, that's the problem.' "

Clews, like Palamar, said city leaders are not taking the matter lightly and want to come up with the best option financially and for businesses and residents.

Totes collect water

Drasdis said the basement at his store did not take in any water from the thunderstorms that rolled through Schuylkill County last weekend.

The Thursday before that, however, he had 3 inches of water in his basement from another fast-moving storm.

"I love this city, but something has to be done and done faster," he said. "Until it starts, I will be at every (sewer authority) meeting asking for information on what they're doing."

Meanwhile, Drasdis said he was forced to install plastic tanks in the basement that each hold 250 gallons to collect runoff water from the roof of his building rather than it flowing into the stormwater system.

If the tanks fill up during a storm, the water returns its flow to the stormwater system.

After the rain stops, Drasdis said he simply empties the tanks into the city system.

He said his collection setup was not expensive because the tanks are old water totes.

"It's just cost a couple of bucks and some work, but it's the fact I had to do it in the first place," he said.

"We're doing whatever we can," he added, "but there has to be some type of progress soon."

Contact the writer: fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013