Jackson Township employee Jason Knox moves a barricade that was put up around a sinkhole that formed over the weekend on Fanker Road. The hole was filled but will remain blocked off until the road is eventually relocated.

JACKSON TWP — Heavy rains and melting snow during the weekend caused high waters in some waterways, leading to some minor problems.

One township road was damaged by a sinkhole and another road was temporarily flooded.

While the Connoquenessing Creek rose higher than usual, Zelienople and Harmony did not have flooding or damage caused by water.

On Saturday, one stretch of Evergreen Mill Road was closed from a creek’s floodwaters, Police Chief Terry Seilhammer said.

Police closed the road, though no residents were affected, he said.

Another issue arose on Fanker Road near the intersection with Route 19, where a sinkhole formed and a portion of the road washed away.

Police put up a barrier restricting a short stretch of road Saturday to one lane of traffic.

Monday morning the township road crew filled in the hole and put a steel patch over it, though the area will remain partially blocked off indefinitely, Roadmaster Gary Cousins said.

The hole formed because below the road is a culvert that carries a small stream that runs parallel to Route 19. When the water in the stream rose, it caused erosion to the surrounding dirt and gravel.

“That culvert pipe is pretty much shot. When the water comes up, it pulls that stone down, which undermines the road,” Cousins said.

Last year, the road department excavated the road and placed 45 concrete builder blocks in an attempt to support the road and prevent erosion.

The township plans eventually to relocate Fanker Road slightly to the north to line up with Wise Road and form a four-way intersection with Route 19. But now that the road has damage, the township may accelerate that project.

An engineer will visit the site Wednesday to determine the damage, Cousins said.

Zelienople and Harmony, which both have low-lying areas near the banks of the Connoquenessing Creek, had no reports of flooded streets or property damage, said Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller.

Miller said he was monitoring the creek level via the United States Geological Survey, which has a monitor in Zelienople and offers e-mail notifications if the water level gets high.

The creek rose along Front Street, but the water never went over its banks, he said.

Harmony Fire Chief Neal Nanna said the department had no calls from high water during the weekend or Monday. The department covers Harmony, along with Jackson and Lancaster townships.

“We did watch it closely. It was about an eighth of an inch from going over, but it never went over,” Nanna said.