HARMONY — Rising temperatures coupled with rain in the forecast over the next few days are raising concerns of flooding in boroughs along the Connoquenessing Creek as the snow pack from February continues to melt.

Don Pepe, Zelienople manager and the emergency management coordinator for Harmony, said he's keeping a close eye on the creek and weather forecasts for the next several days. Resources are in place, he said, but for now it's just a waiting game to see if they'll be used in case of a flood.

"There's no immediate concern but we're going to take a very close look at it," Pepe said. "We have no idea how the snow melt will affect the water level or how much rain we're going to get.

"I don't want anybody to think we're in bad shape, but we're going to keep a close eye on it and determine if there is an issue to respond to or not."

Pepe said he'd initiate a mobile emergency response center, which would be coordinated with the county's emergency management center if the waters do indeed flood into Harmony or Zelienople.

Luckily, Pepe said, it's been a relatively slow snow melt over the past week and there aren't any ice jams or other obstructions in the creek that would prevent the water from moving freely. He also said it's beneficial that the ground isn't frozen, which would create a flash-flood run off situation.

That doesn't mean the forecast rain tonight and into the weekend won't make the situation worse, but Pepe added there's certainly no reason for residents to be alarmed as of now.

"We don't want to overly alarm everyone but on the same token we're keeping an eye on it," he said. "Folks need to be aware and be cautious until this snow melts and we get through any rain that may come."

Jackson Township Police Chief Len Keller, who helped coordinate efforts in Harmony when remnants from Hurricane Ivan flooded the borough in 2004, agreed that it never hurts to be cautious but officials aren't expecting any massive flooding.

"As long as it's a slow snow melt we should be fine," he said. "If we get a lot of heavy rain, then we're looking at a potential problem."

Keller said a dam that was removed last fall should help the Connoquenessing Creek flow more freely.

He also said the entire creek bed needs to be dredged to allow a better flow of water, but he has no idea when such a project would take place.