PENNDOT WORKS ON WATER RUNOFF PROBLEM

On July 3, 2007, PENNDOT workers responded to a complaint called in by Monte about the water drainage problem at the Rt. 30 entrance to LMB.

Monte and others were concerned about the amount of gravel that washed into the entrance from Rt. 30 since Berkey completed his roadwork project at the end of May. (to see pictures click on http://www.flickr.com/photos/lmborolmpark/ )
That site gets the effects of all the water flowing down Laurel Mountain, according to the PENNDOT worker I spoke with. He noted that the workers will route out the drains, fill the edge of the road with “reclaim” and roll it down “real good.”

He explained that PENNDOT has a 50-foot leeway from the road—a distance not determined by a property owner’s right of way—to manage water runoff onto roads. The worker carries a copy of the Highway Law of 1945—Section 417—Drains and Ditches in his pocket that states: The department shall have authority to enter any lands and cut open, maintain and repair such drains and ditches, inlets, or outlets as are necessary to carry the water from roads or highways. If any person shall stop or fill up such a ditch or drain or shall divert or change the course thereof without authority from the department, such person shall upon summary conviction thereof for every such offense pay a fine together with the cost of prosecution.

The worker said the 50-foot limit is not usually needed, and the local project will not require that leeway. He showed Monte and Daneen where the ditches were being repaired and where there was a drain that was majorly plugged.

“I’m so grateful to you. We didn’t know what to do,” Daneen said. She noted that water that flowed into the Boro entrance in the winter froze, causing hazardous conditions for children and others.