Stormwater Runoff Plagues Residents of Spring Brook Terrace

Residents of the Spring Brook Terrace cul-de-sac in Nazareth are looking for someone to fix drainage and stormwater problems that they say swamp their yards and basements and damage neighborhood roads.

Officials in Nazareth and Upper Nazareth Township -- from where much of the water flows -- agree there is a problem and are working on ways to fix it.

The issue, as usual, is who pays for the repairs. The idea is to install a stormwater basin at the corner of the N. Broad Street Ext. and St. Elmo Street in Upper Nazareth, in addition to the installation of piping to connect the basin to an existing stormwater drainage system.

At the July 6 Upper Nazareth Board of Supervisors meeting, township engineer Al Kortze estimated the cost to install a storm drain of reinforced concrete pipe at about $19,000.

Kortze, in a later phone interview, noted that the estimate was based on putting the project out to bid. The cost could go down significantly if the work is performed by municipal workers from the Upper Nazareth Public Works Department, possibly with the help of Nazareth personnel or borough-owned equipment, Kortze said.

Tom Fox, whose property lies partially in the township and partially in the borough, has spearheaded efforts to get elected leaders to address the drainage problem, which he says has gone on for years.

Fox said he attended recent workshops and council meetings in Nazareth at which borough officials expressed willingness to provide manpower and equipment, though probably not money, to perform repairs.

“There is willingness [for] some partnership there,” Fox said at the Upper Nazareth meeting.

Mike Rinker, chairman of the Upper Nazareth supervisors, said he too attended a recent workshop in Nazareth when the drainage problem was discussed, and agreed to participate in future meetings with borough officials to resolve the problem.

Once again, the discussion centered on finances.

“We don't have a lot of money,” said Upper Nazareth supervisor Willard Mohn following a night of reviewing reports from the heads of each township department who were asked to resubmit budgets with at least 10 percent in cuts.

Nazareth Borough Council president Daniel Chiavaroli, in a phone interview, echoed the general feeling of municipal partnership, but made clear that he thinks the bulk of the problem lies with Upper Nazareth, since that is where most of the water comes from.

“To me, it looks like it runs down Cherry Hill Road and goes right into their properties,” Chiavaroli said. He estimated that at least 90 percent of the water that impacts Spring Brook Terrace comes from Upper Nazareth.

Kortze said he is not convinced that number is accurate -- some of the water runoff likely comes from Bushkill Township, he noted -- but added that fixing the problem is a safety concern.

Apart from water runoff into yards and basements, water pools freeze on road surfaces in the winter, leading to dangerous icing, he said.

The Spring Brook Terrace drainage and road issues have a long history that will be only partly addressed by a storm drain that alleviates stormwater problems, according to Fox.

The development plan was approved in the early 1970s, but construction of homes did not start for almost 30 years because the original owner preferred to have the cul-de-sac all to himself, Fox said.

Thus, the aging surface of Spring Brook Terrace Road is in poor condition and needs to be repaired, even if the runoff problems stop, he said. Nazareth planned to improve the road in 2007, but at the last minute changed plans and used the money allocated for Spring Brook Terrace to fund a larger repair project, he explained.

Fox is the only Spring Brook Terrace homeowner whose property stretches across the border of Upper Nazareth and Nazareth. The rest of the development is entirely within the borough, across the street from .