Derry Township proposes stormwater pond on tech center land
Derry Township plans to buy a section of property from the Eastern Westmoreland County Career and Technology Center to develop a stormwater retention pond.
The pond is the first of three the township supervisors have proposed to help control storm runoff that has contributed to flooding in recent years.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Supervisor Dave Slifka said of the land purchase at the technology center off Route 982. “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 has been approved by the three member school districts that send students to the facility. Greater Latrobe School Board voted in favor of the sale on Tuesday, following prior approval from Derry Area and Ligonier Valley school boards.
The pond would be located near Meadow Drive, in the northeastern corner of the technology center’s nearly 55-acre property. It is meant to capture and filter stormwater from the nearby Terney Plan of homes. It should help control the water flow into Sulphur Run, which has experienced flooding downstream in Derry Township and neighboring Latrobe.
The pond would collect stormwater from an area covering about 90 acres, Slifka said.
“It’s going to be alleviating some of the runoff heading toward Latrobe,” he said. “You never know with the weather, but we think this will help a great deal.”
The township will pay for the property transfer and subdivision approval. Supervisors hope to begin work this summer, Slifka said.
A $250,000 state grant, derived from fines levied for permit violations during construction of the Mariner East II natural gas pipeline, will help pay for the project, he said.
According to Slifka, a somewhat smaller Mariner East II grant is expected to help develop a retention pond for the Saxman Run watershed. It is proposed for about 3 acres opposite the 84 Lumber store along Industrial Boulevard.
He said the township hopes to tap another state grant program to develop an additional pond in the Sulphur Run watershed, near Penn Avenue.
The township recently completed Sulphur Run storm water improvements at Raymond Avenue and Montana Street.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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