Pennsylvania Township Building Storm Water Retention Pond
Derry Township, Pennsylvania plans to buy a section of property from the Eastern Westmoreland County Career and Technology Center to develop a storm water retention pond.
The pond is the first of three the township supervisors have proposed to help control storm runoff that has contributed to flooding, reported TribLIVE.
“It’s a win-win situation,” said Supervisor Dave Slifka. “The ground we’re looking to buy would be very tough to build on. It’s a wooded area and a wet area to begin with.”
The $11,500 sale of 2.25 acres was approved by the three member school districts that send students to the facility. Greater Latrobe School Board voted in favor of the sale, following prior approval from Derry Area and Ligonier Valley school boards, reported TribLIVE.
The pond will be located near Meadow Drive, in the northeastern corner of the technology center’s nearly 55-acre property. It will capture and filter storm water from the nearby Terney Plan of homes and aims to help control the water flow into Sulphur Run, which has experienced flooding downstream. The pond would collect stormwater from an area covering about 90 acres, according to TribLIVE.
The township will pay for the property transfer and subdivision approval and supervisors hope to begin work this summer. A $250,000 state grant will help pay for the project.
A smaller Mariner East II grant is expected to help develop a retention pond for the Saxman Run watershed as well, reported TribLIVE. The township hopes to tap another state grant program to develop an additional pond in the Sulphur Run watershed.
