Butler does all it can afford to prevent stormwater flooding as it awaits state approval of a $4 million Sullivan Run flood control project, city officials said.

A large part of Tuesday's City Council meeting was used to update residents and answer questions about flood control in the wake of heavy rains that caused Sullivan Run to overflow and flood homes in the West End on Saturday.

City engineer Joe Gray said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's project plans and the construction rights of way and easements obtained by the city have been submitted to the Department of General Services for approval.

“It's ready to go as soon as the Department of General Services approves it,” Gray said.

Mayor Ben Smith said the city has secured its portion of the funding from the Butler County Infrastructure Bank.

“At this point we've done all we can,” Smith said.

The city's share of the cost is about $252,000 and the overall project will cost more than $4 million, Gray said.

He said the earliest the DEP could seek construction bids is December or January, but it's more likely to take place in the spring. Construction is expected to start in the summer or fall of 2020.

Sometime in the next month or two, the city will remove sediment from the concrete U channel from Brady Street bridge to the Penn Street bridge and from under the New Castle Street bridge, said John Evans, building code official.

The city cleans the U channel every two or three years. The last cleanout was done just before the 2017 flood, Evans said.

Gray said the city has removed several culverts over the years for the Sullivan Run project. Some of that work was done in the 1990s, he said.

The pending work includes removing the Miller, Penn and Brady Street bridges and replacing them with culverts, and building a new section of concrete U channel in the creek, Gray said.

He said the Brady Street bridge is where debris being washed downstream collects and causes water to overflow the banks.

The DEP designed the channel to handle the volume of flood water in the 2017 flood and Saturday's heavy rain, but a 100- or 500-year flood would slightly overflow the channel, he said.

Gray said the city maintains storm sewers as much as it can with its limited budget.

Councilman Kenny Bonus suggested the city work with neighboring municipalities to address flooding.

Runoff and debris washes into the creek from Butler and Center townships, which have strict stormwater management ordinances, so a regional watershed analysis of what enters the creek and starting a dialogue with the townships are good ideas, Gray said.

“The city is in a bowl. The water is going to flow down,” Gray said.

It's the volume of water entering the creek during storms that creates the problem, he said.

Gray said he believes creating large retention ponds in Memorial Park and in the Alameda Park area in Butler Township would collect stormwater and slow its flow into the creek.

Lesley Serroka of Mercer Street, whose home was flooded in 2017, asked what residents can do to protect themselves and their property until the project is completed.

Homes in the West End are in the flood plain and the basements are below the flood elevation, Gray said. He suggested that residents avoid storing valuables in their basements.

He said people living along the creek should not leave debris along the bank where it can be washed downstream.

Responding to another resident's question, Gray said an S-shaped curve in the creek bed between Miller and Penn streets will be straightened in the flood control project.

Smith acknowledged that the flooding problem has existed for many years and the current administration secured the flood control project funding so work can begin as soon as the state approves it.

Responding to a question from Serroka, Gray said a lot of storm sewers are broken or clogged, but the city fixes them when they can afford to.

“Like anything else, it comes down to money. They're doing the best they can,” Gray said.

Another resident criticized the city's plans to replace its streetlights with new LED lights instead of focusing on flood control.

Smith and Gray said the existing lights are rusty and two have fallen in recent years. Gray said a portion of the city's tax revenue is restricted for use on street lighting.