Frequent flooding concerns businesses, residents near Chartiers Creek
Businesses and residents located near Chartiers Creek in Canton Township are wondering what can be done to prevent the waterway from flooding after it once again overflowed its banks following Sunday morning’s storms.
The heavy rain caused flooding along Jefferson Avenue and other places in the Washington area in what has been an unusually wet end to the summer.
But it’s the continuous flooding along the Chartiers Creek that has people living and working in that area concerned about how debris and other obstructions in the creek are making the situation worse.
RPM Industries COO John Zwicker and Lloyd Brock, who is the company’s process improvement manager, took a walk Monday morning out of their plant at 1660 Jefferson Ave. and spotted numerous large items along the banks of the Chartiers next to Commercial Drive. Both immediately spotted a trampoline and section of fencing that had washed out in previous floods and could eventually get pushed into the overpass bridges over the creek, which would cause a dam to form and create even worse flooding.
“Anything that gets picked up here is going to hit that bridge,” Zwicker said of the Henderson Avenue overpass about a half-mile downstream. “I get that floods happen, but this is negligence. Someone could die.”
Zwicker and Lloyd said that while they understand dredging the Chartiers Creek might not be an option right now due to various environmental regulations, they would at least like to see garbage and debris removed from the banks and below bridges so that it doesn’t get washed down the creek and contribute to future flooding.
Trees, branches and vegetation could be seen piled up below the Henderson Avenue overpass near North Hewitt Avenue, with little room for the creek water to pass below. The bridge is maintained by the state Department of Transportation, and it was not immediately known when the debris would be removed from under it and other PennDOT-operated bridges to alleviate flooding.
“The department is reviewing and monitoring bridge structures under the department’s control throughout the county,” PennDOT spokeswoman Melissa Maczko said in a written statement. “Some of the information that is being documented is debris buildup that has deposited under the bridge structures from heavy rainfall and flooding events. Once a location has been identified, the department schedules work to clear the debris away from the structures. All work is dependent on environmental permitting, equipment and workforce.”
Commercial Drive in Canton Township flooded once again, causing more issues for businesses along the road and a nearby mobile home park in the area. Brock said it’s the fourth time since RPM opened its location there in 2013 that the area has flooded, including just last March.
“I assume the creek will need to be dredged,” Lloyd said. “I’ve turned to the township, county and state.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be studying the Chartiers Creek watershed to determine what can be done to mitigate flooding. Army Corps spokesman Andrew Byrne said the study is in the “assessment and evaluation phase” of the process, although it’s not known the scope of the work that will happen or the timeline.
The Washington area was still drying off from last weekend’s flooding when more flash flooding hit again eight days later.
Washington County public safety officials were out Monday with Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency representatives performing a damage assessment from flooding that occurred Sept. 12. The county was still in the process of determining the scope of the damage from last weekend’s flooding when the heavy rain hit the Washington area again Sunday morning.
Washington County Public Safety Director Gerry Coleman said they are compiling a “crisis track” to determine whether the county will qualify for disaster relief funds.
“It just rained so hard and so long Sunday,” Coleman said of the recent storm. “We’re still compiling a damage assessment.”
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed widespread flooding Sunday across central Washington County.
Aerial photos at Mingo Creek County Park in Nottingham Township showed flooding that overtook portions of the walking paths and roadway, although county officials said Monday there was no damage to the park.
In South Strabane Township, a kayaker had to be rescued after he entered the floodwaters trying to help people marooned at the FOP Lodge 447 on Valley Road Extension. North Strabane Public Safety Director Mark Grimm said the strong current pushed the kayaker against a tree, so firefighters from departments from North Strabane, South Strabane, Bentleyville and Westmoreland County were dispatched to rescue him.
“You got to respect the water, especially when it’s moving that fast,” Grimm said. “It’s just widespread flooding. The problem is there’s nowhere for the water to go. It’s just saturated.”