ZELIENOPLE — Residents aired frustrations with recent flooding during Monday's council meeting. Many said the problem is getting worse despite measures to mitigate high water.

On May 28, more than six inches of rain fell on Zelienople, overwhelming stormwater control systems and sending water down numerous streets, including Main Street. Several businesses were impacted. Homeowners were left to pump water out of their basements. A state of emergency was declared for the ensuing cleanup.

During Monday's borough council meeting, a half-dozen residents said that while the response and help in cleaning up from the flooding was appreciated, the circumstances leading to the flooding seem to be getting worse.

Daniel Karns, a resident of Pine Street, said in his 11 years living in the “bathtub” area of the borough he has seen flooding on several occasions, most recently in July 2018. However, he said over the years, that flooding has gotten worse with each incident, and his flooding designation was recently upgraded.

Karns said he does not believe the flooding is a result of the Connoquenessing Creek overflowing, but rather an infrastructure issue. He said sewer backups and blocked culverts are causing problems, as well as drainage from other areas in the borough.

“I don't expect a whole lot from the government, but I do expect infrastructure and I do expect safety,” he said. “It's not just development; it's just not the Connoquenessing Creek. ... We have an issue that needs addressed, and I don't know how to best go about it.”

Lampard Lane resident Andrew Barclay said he's seen the change in the six years he has rented his property. He said May's flooding was unlike any he had seen, and that the lane acts as a dam with water backing up due to a pipe that is too small to handle a significant downpour. He suggested installing a culvert or bridge to allow water to flow unobstructed and for easier clearing of debris.

Further down Lampard Lane, resident Dan Kosak said he has seen streams there grow by more than double in size since he moved there in 1994. He agreed with Barclay that the pipe meant to transfer water is not big enough.

Other residents said they believed debris and trees piling up in tributaries is having a major impact, with some sharing concerns over the safety of those areas.

Don Pepe, borough manager, said the borough last year installed three stormwater management rock dams above Interstate 79. It was the first step outlined in a 10-year stormwater management plan that is now in its third year. He said those dams were meant to handle an inch of rain per hour.

“We didn't have an inch an hour,” he said.

A tree fell over in the area and caused a rush of water to destroy the first dam, and the other two were overwhelmed, officials said.

“We had three different dams up there, and one was blown away,” Pepe said.

Allen Bayer, council president, further explained that the 10-year plan created by the borough engineer was “overwhelming and cost prohibitive” to do all at once. Because of that, borough leaders prioritized all measures over the course of a decade. He said feedback such as what residents provided Monday is crucial in ensuring the plan address all issues.

“Equally important (as the plan) is to hear from everyone what concerns they see, what problems you've had because I'll be looking to see if any of these concerns will be mitigated by the plan that we already have, or that maybe we need to re-prioritize,” he said.

Despite the issues, residents said they were thankful to first responders and volunteers who helped in the cleanup.

“This town really knows how to pull together when we deal with something like the flood we had,” Barclay said.