City to fight future flash floods through mitigation, cleaning of stream
After weeks of heavy rain resulted in flooding across the county, Butler City Council is working to clean up a stream and is actively exploring mitigation efforts for the future.
At the council meeting on Thursday, June 26, members voted unanimously to pay $33,200 for the routine cleaning of Sullivan Run, a stream located on the east side of the city. The cleaning will be completed by Bauer Excavating.
Dandoy clarified previously the cleaning is routine and unrelated to recent flooding.
“It has nothing to do with the rains that we’ve had, it’s just the nature of the beast that branches break off, things get washed down, dirt, that stuff,” Dandoy said at a June 12 forum meeting. “So it gets to where it needs to be cleaned down and virtually every year they do it.”
Dandoy said and the city engineer are in the early stages of a plan to address future flooding occurrences.
“I’ve spent the better part of today talking to Joe Gray, the city engineer, about our plans,” Dandoy said at the June 26 meeting.
Dandoy said that they’re developing a list of problem areas and still getting prices on the work. The mitigation plan will be brought to council for a vote when it is ready, he said.
Throughout June, there have been two days with flooding incidents in the city. On June 5, Butler County Water Rescue Team 300 was requested at three flash flooding incidents following heavy rainfall. The team was ultimately canceled or stood by for all three incidents.
More flooding occurred on June 18 around Penn, Pillow, West Cunningham and West Jefferson streets, resulting in temporary road closures.
Earlier in June, Dandoy told the Butler Eagle that the city is looking to address flooding all over, including further drainage improvements near Sullivan Run, Ritts Park and the bottom of the Jefferson Street hill. Funding from the sale of the Butler Area Sewer Authority will supplement the $25,000 the city budgeted for storm sewer repairs.
Long-term plans also include adding storm sewers to Monroe and Franklin streets to intercept water flowing toward Elm Street. The city added a four-foot culvert on Monroe Street to intercept stormwater flowing from areas of higher elevation and plans to extend it further down the street.
Gray also spoke to the Butler Eagle in June on storm mitigation efforts. He said he wants to add storm sewers to Cedar Street to relieve the flooding affecting houses along the low point, and replace and repair piping on Cunningham Street.
“Unfortunately, the city is in a bowl and the water is going to get to the bottom of that bowl one way or another,” Gray said.
