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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

What Can We Do To Solve Our Stormwater Problem?

Marcellus Shale. To some, it's a Godsend that will put people to work and strengthen our national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. To others, it's a curse that will destroy our environment and result in even more ghost towns than were produced by strip mining in the coal regions, where towns like Turkey Run ran away. But no matter how you feel about hydraulic fracking, no one can deny that it has been a windfall to counties like Northampton, which have no Marcellus Shale. This is because of the impact fee that trickles down to all counties. Lehigh and Northampton County received a combined $627,795 in 2014 from natural gas drillers. So far, the money has been used for environmental initiatives and bridge repairs. But it's time to start thinking about using some of that money for something far more pressing to anyone who lives in the Lehigh Valley. I'm suggesting that it is time for local leaders to start some serious stormwater mitigation planning. Thanks to the Marcellus Shale Legacy fund, we have the money to do it.

Last week, Bethlehem Township was hit with a heavy downpour in the middle of a Commissioners' meeting. The flash flooding was so intense that it's a miracle no one was killed. For that, residents can thank the Nancy Run and Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire companies, both of which act selflessly during times of crisis. Planning Commissioner Les Walker dismissed the storm as a fluke, something that only happens once every 500 years. But as Attorney tom Elliott countered, we've been experiencing a lot of those 500-year storms in recent years.

I made it home in that disaster, but should not have. The Blue had become one of the great lakes, while Easton Avenue along the Keystone Pub had turned into a Class 5 rapids. The bottom of Hope Road next to the Bethlehem Boat Club is hopeless, completely washed away, and for the second or third time in my memory. It is only a matter of time before fire companies begin requesting submarines.

Some of the reason for all this storm water is undeniably because areas like Easton Avenue at the Keystone Pub are at the lowest point of the Nancy Run watershed. But all of this is exacerbated by the runoff from all the development occurring over the years, both in the township and City of Bethlehem, along with developments going north.

Bethlehem has had its own troubles. Just a few short years ago the flash flooding produced by a sudden downpour ruined Musikfest, which by its nature is somewhat at the mercy of the elements.

In Allentown, sudden downpours cause manhole covers to pop open and spill into Jordan Creek.

These storm waters are usually low quality water, containing arsenic or even fecal matter in more urban areas.

I have listed some of my observations, but you may be aware of much more than I presented here. It is a serious problem and it is a regional problem, the kind that requires communities to work together for a solution. Naturally, nothing has been done. My own research reveals that, occasional, one municipality may threaten to sue another, but that's about it.

After Monday night's Planning Commission meeting, I was speaking to the Roth brothers. They are two ornery men who pretty much hate everything, so naturally, I like them. They suggested that it is time to start using these Marcellus Shale funds and open space money to solve this area's stormwater problem. I discussed this yesterday with Bryan Cope, the Open Space coordinator in Northampton Couunty, and he agreed it's time for some of this out-of-the-box thinking.

Instead of spending a small fortune to provide a handout for some wealthy investment planner as is proposed in Williams Township, why not take some of the Marcellus Shale funding to thoroughly study and then address our stormwater problem? Executive John Brown has started a $1 million grant program to aid our outlying communities. One of their biggest problems is stormwater. Why not address it in a meaningful way? Instead of spending that money to buy swampland or cliffs that will never be developed anyway, why not use that money where it will actually do some good?

If there is open space and state money behind this, municipalities should be much more likely to cooperate with each other. Unfortunately, the Open Space Advisory Board is made up of people who seem to think their obligation is to help out millionaires. In fact, on a municipal level, some of them sit on the local boards that vote to preserve their own property.

There's a vacancy on the Open Space Advisory Board right now. I was going to apply for a position myself, but believe I am too controversial to be effective. But if one of you comes from a business or engineering background, or is just sick of seeing good money wasted on goofy projects while your basement fills with water every time it rains, why not apply?

In the meantime, what is your own experience with stormwaters? Do you think it's getting worse? Where do you live and what do you see? How would you address it?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pipe it to California.

michael molovinsky said...

it's a big problem in allentown. a section of town near muhlenberg college regularly has their basements flooded from storm sewer overflow. it played a part in the WPA wall collapse this week; a manhole cover at the park entrance blew off, sending tons of water against the previously leaning wall. however, i'm against wasting money on endless studies. in almost every case, the existing pipes need to be replaced with larger pipes, it's nothing more complicated than that.

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't anyone question the engineering calculations?

Anonymous said...

Bernie
What about Allentown's Lehigh Street water main break that is causing havoc along one of the city's main thoroughfares and feet from the Mack Fire Station.

Anonymous said...


12:33 AM



Blogger michael molovinsky said...
it's a big problem in allentown. a section of town near muhlenberg college regularly has their basements flooded from storm sewer overflow. it played a part in the WPA wall collapse this week; a manhole cover at the park entrance blew off, sending tons of water against the previously leaning wall. however, i'm against wasting money on endless studies. in almost every case, the existing pipes need to be replaced with larger pipes, it's nothing more complicated than that.

5:49 AM

Actually, it's even easier than this. Host community meetings and ask residents where the water collects in their neighborhoods. Who better?

Anonymous said...

Directional drilling is safe and it's the only thing that's gone right in our economy in the last seven miserable years from the old clown Bush to the new clown Obama. It's saved our economy. The funds should absolutely be used while they're available. It's not a long-term solution, however, as PA is now considered a hostile state in which to drill. The price collapse has slowed production to a crawl (check out permits on the DEP site). Nothing new here. But when the price recovers, PA will be the last state to see drilling rigs that have been moved out, return. It's a business. Rigs are moved at great expense and companies will likely stand down in PA until the current governor is gone. They can afford to be patient. The gas isn't going anywhere and every other drilling state will be more hospitable after Wolf's taxes are implemented. Don't bank on shale money.

Anonymous said...

New state MS4 requirements will make stormwater management even more expensive.
http://www.stormwaterpa.org/ms4-program.html

A new tool to deal is that In PA municipalities can now create stormwater authorities through act 68. This allows a muni to collect a direct user fee based on the discharge from a property. These fees would reduce reliance on general funds and would create a stable and reliable mechanism for recovering the costs of stormwater services.

http://www.conservationadvocate.org/issues/stormwater/

Anonymous said...

Fuck the fracking industry. The problem is now and should be addressed now. One of the real problems is paving over our County and using up all the farmland which presently serves as a sponge for heavy rains.. Industrial development with improper run-off in-fra-structure like the new Chrin industrial park along 33 will further the runoff problem. Jaindl also rapes the farming community with his development projects. The communities are to blame for allowing these developments to occur. They should be thrown out of office for allowing the poor planning. They are creating the problems.

Anonymous said...

Slow day?

Anonymous said...

really is easily enough addressed. States like MD have the solutions: things like rain gardens in every new home, permeable asphalt, etc. But it all costs money.

Anonymous said...

The federal MS4 regulations referred to above are definately addressing stormwater runoff for new developments, requiring each lot to retain its runoff on site through a series of raingardens and infiltration pits and berms. These regulations are adminstered by DEP through the county conservation districts. This will not help the decades of poor suburban development runoff controls you refer to. The new federal stormwater regulations do create another expensive and time consuming hurdle for developers, many of whom will not do certain projects because the costs of compliance erodes the profit margain. Also, since the regulations are federal, developers can't go to their local township elected officials for relief.

Anonymous said...

To 7:50, you are right, drilling for gas/oil is a business. But you are wrong that an extraction tax would make all the drillers go away. First, all states except Pennsylvania have a tax. I have mineral rights in Texas - they have an approximately 7.5% extraction tax- and no one has ever said that drillers leave Texas! Second, drillers will come to PA because there is a natural resource under the ground and that resource is limited to a few places. Recovery through fracking depletes the resource more rapidly than conventional drilling, so this boom is inevitably short-term.

Bernie O'Hare said...

" i'm against wasting money on endless studies. in almost every case, the existing pipes need to be replaced with larger pipes, it's nothing more complicated than that.:

That;s how tyou fiuind out where the problems are and arrive at a plan to prioritize and deal with them. This is so basic I don't know why I even havce to explain this,

Bernie O'Hare said...

"But you are wrong that an extraction tax would make all the drillers go away. First, all states except Pennsylvania have a tax."''

This is not about Marcellus Shale or the merits of an extraction tax. This is about the need to deal with our stormwaters.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"The federal MS4 regulations referred to above are definately addressing stormwater runoff for new developments, requiring each lot to retain its runoff on site through a series of raingardens and infiltration pits and berms. These regulations are adminstered by DEP through the county conservation districts. "

These are inadequate as well. For one thing county conservation districts do not visit these developments and have no idea whether there are problems. They are complaint driven.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Slow day? "

This is one of our biggest problems. You are more than welcome to go to the ET and look at prom pictures.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"A new tool to deal is that In PA municipalities can now create stormwater authorities through act 68."

I would support this if it were a regional authority.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to disagree with you. The Northampton County Soil Conservation District and the Penn State Agriculture Extension deal with water run off and other soil erosion problems. Check it out.

Anonymous said...

WE need toilets for a few privileged kids. not storm water relief.

Bernie O'Hare said...

1:16, they are understaffed and do not even visit sites unless there is a complaint. In fact, I hear some developers are just moving ahead.

Bernie O'Hare said...

1:21, I am well aware of Hudak' demagoguery and his attempt to
Pit one segment of the community against others. It's sad to see the witch hunt in progress. In the meantime, he has done nothing my about the storm water, congestion and development.

Anonymous said...

Dig big holes with pipes leading from the places that have flooding. Then cap those big holes with bathrooms. Bingo bango, two problems with one stone. Let's see the Roth bros hate on that.

Anonymous said...

i contacted Bryan Cope last year about that open position. i have a business background and have lived in Bethlehem Township since 1970. i was told that an engineering backround was wanted and thanks but no thanks. obviously, the position was never filled

Anonymous said...

anon 2:29 guberment jobs need an in with someone. Just like teaching jobs. Credentials are secondary.

Anonymous said...

Let us remember that every mature tree absorbs hundreds, and depending on hieght and leaf surface, some abosorb thousands, of gallons of rain run-off every year. People who thoughtlessly want to chop down mature trees, are so ignorant they ought to be locked up. And especially so when their main reason for wanting to dip into other people's pockets to chop down mature trees is so that their dopey kid and the family business that the same picked pockets are forced to pay to plant the new ones, will be able to install new little trees.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The former treevitalize program, which actually does exactly what you say, could help.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"i contacted Bryan Cope last year about that open position. i have a business background and have lived in Bethlehem Township since 1970. i was told that an engineering backround was wanted and thanks but no thanks. obviously, the position was never filled "

Bryan Cope does not make these appoitnments. The Executive does. I suggest you send your resume and a letter of interest to him, with a cc to Ken Kraft and Cope. I can say Cope told me yesterday that he would welcome people from more diverse backgrounds, so I am at a loss to explain what he said to you.

Anonymous said...

Allentown's storm water should not be going in the sanitary sewer systems. The NIZ should pay for improvents downtown. Where does the runoff for the arena go? To the surface?

Matt Miles said...

We can thank suburban sprawl for much of the problem. Zoning officers and boards never had a big-picture plan for this problem. Sure, we can put it into a retaining pond at a shopping center, but then what happens after it leaves the pond?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Exactly. This cries out for a regional approach.

Anonymous said...

@7:56,
It is common for older areas of both Allentown and Bethlehem to have the storm sewers run into the sanitary sewer. This was done long before there was even thought that a heavy rain would overburden the system.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
in allentown were water is a problem if the city would clean out the curb catch basins that would be a start¿ Butt than the storm water in the streets may have had a clause in the MMO water war sale twisting responsibility too, and the garbage and sludge pryor build up became LCA's property and responsibility¿

redd
patent pend

Anonymous said...

Bernie,

I really don't understand the Valley and storm water... many suburban and urban areas have storm water management systems designed to collect all this water and treat it thus preventing flooding. How come this never occurred in the Valley?

Take townships like Forks are which are sitting on mounds of dolomite which is just going to cause sink holes if the water is not collected and transported away correctly. I have no idea what the mega facility planned by Petrucci will do about all that rain water. Will it just throw it into a pond to cause a sink hole later? This is not to mention all the other mega warehouses planned in around little old Tatamy. Shouldn't these buildings be equipped with the latest green roofs which have plant material on them to help mitigate the rain water?

Now it seems the Valley is having to play over 100 years of catch up.