HARMONY — The borough is looking at ways to alleviate drainage issues throughout the community.

Borough council Tuesday evening identified problem areas where water builds up during rainy conditions.

“This has been an ongoing problem for many Harmony residents for a very long time,” said council member Jason Sarver.

Sarver and water authority member Bob Ziegler are heading the project to address the drainage issue.

Ziegler has been researching the problem areas since May.

The project starts at 1st Street and ends at the Connoquenessing Creek.

“The biggest problem is there is not enough fall from 1st Street to the creek,” Ziegler said. “If the creek is over the exit pipe, water doesn’t flow down the pipe and it backs up.”

He also said the pipe in place needs to be cleaned.

“It (water) comes up maybe 3 feet height-wise, but it’s a flat area so it spreads out,” Ziegler said.

The waterway runs through the lowest part of Harmony and gathers water in multiple runoffs throughout the town.

“It has always been a difficult problem to fix due to the multiple ownership throughout the run, including PennDOT, the railroad, multiple businesses and private land owners,” Sarver said.

This project is being addressed through three different zones.

“Each zone will have its own individual problems, timelines and solutions,” Sarver said.

Another problem Ziegler said contributes to the issue is the different pipe sizes in the area funneling into each other.

Zone 1 starts at Mercer street and runs into the Connoquenessing Creek. Zone 2 starts at the railroad tracks along German Street and ends at Mercer Street, which includes the “pit of death” on Tod DiMinno’s property. Zone 3 starts at 1st Street and ends at the railroad tracks.

Ziegler said the committee created to address the issue is looking at solutions and costs.

“We’ll try to take care of the little things for now, but it’s going to take some time and money,” he said.

Two wooden bridges and a fence in Zone 2, which were said to be the cause of debris collection, were removed recently.

The pit on DiMinno’s property where water flows is not able to be filled, Ziegler said.

Another problem area the borough is looking at is a run by Route 68 that brings sediment and litter into the waterway, causing more buildup.

Ziegler said communication with PennDOT has not been successful to address the issue.