Can Radnor fix its flooding problems?
RADNOR » At the end of the 19th century, Radnor Township was mostly rural.
Open streams ran through areas of Wayne that are now covered with hard surfaces and buildings.
Ithan Creek openly flowed near where Radnor Middle School sits today.
Nearby, the Wayne Natatorium was created by damming another creek. The lake created from the dam was a popular recreation spot and used for swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter.
Over 100 years after these streams were covered for the growing Wayne community, many of those culverts, inlets and sewers are wearing out.
Now, due to a combination of all that impervious coverage and old infrastructure, flooding has become a major issue in the town.
Although the problems were created decades ago, they still have to be fixed. What makes fixing them more complicated is the urbanization that has covered the suburban community of Wayne.
At a recent special meeting of the Radnor Board of Commissioners, township officials reviewed several planned projects with an estimated cost of slightly over $16 million. The projects discussed are designed to help mitigate some of that flooding. The $16 million would only cover projects in the short term. More money will be needed for later projects.
“So it’s very aggressive, but these projects in an urbanized environment that we live in … are costly because we’re working in areas that are already developed. We’re not way out in the burbs where we have acres and acres of ground,” Steve Norcini, the township engineer, told the commissioners.
Although no one on the board voiced any opposition to the need for the projects, a couple of board members raised one concern they say was missed in the presentation.
Commissioner Sean Farhy said he couldn’t support voting for a resolution on these projects until the township has a comprehensive plan that addresses institutional growth and the amount of storm water wavers developers receive.
“We’re doing this to ourselves,” Farhy said. “So I can’t vote for it unless we address storm water issues with ordinances and not just throw money at it. We need to quell growth.”
Commissioner Rich Booker said they are not addressing the long term problems with continued development.
“I think we really need to look at it in the context of our land use and our development,” Booker said. “We continue to approve – we have all these big deployments coming in, and this is really just addressing the current problems.”
So what are some of the projects that are expected to begin in the coming months?
One of the largest projects that Norcini described as still a concept plan that will cost an estimated $4.6 million is the North Wayne/Gulph Creek floodplain. Under this project, the township would do work along Gulph Creek to mitigate the flooding in that area. Currently, they have plans for the project, but they are dependent on the cooperation of the property owners.
According to Norcini, they have about 60 percent of the residents on board with the project but more are needed.
“Until we get these numbers of who is willing to do this, we really can’t get to the true engendered construction plans,” Norcini said.
So after knowing the number of property owners involved, they will look at the project once again and determine the final plans and costs.
Three smaller projects include work at Cumberland Place, the Arthur Road Storm Sewer Project and the Wooton Road Storm Sewer Project.
At the cost of $175,000, at Cumberland Place they will install piping and inlets to Arbor Place. The work is expected to be completed in May.
On Arthur Road, a $175,000 project is expected to go to the board for approval next month. It’s designed to prevent ponding that leads to ice in the winter months and mosquito issues the rest of the year. The project consists of adding piping and inlets.
On Wooton Road, $200,000 is going to replace a pipe that has deteriorated over time. During one recent storm, a tree fell over and ripped out a part of it.
A culvert on Malin Road has deteriorated and needs replaced at the cost of $1.6 million. One issue with the Malin Road project is that a gas line has to be shut off and capped, so it has to be done through the summer months. The project is expected to go out to bid in March and be completed in the fall.
Two other projects expected to occur in 2021 include a $900,000 project on Highview Road and the $300,000 Wistar Road storm sewer project.
Two other projects are planned to help with flooding in the north Wayne area.
A larger project at the North Wayne Parking lot would use porous paving to manage runoff from the lot. It’s expected to cost $2.1 million. At $160,000, the township also wants to install tree trenches in the Radnor Street Road and Willow Avenue areas.
“So it’s very aggressive, but these projects in an urbanized environment that we live in … are costly because we’re working in areas that are already developed. We’re not way out in the burbs where we have acres and acres of ground.”
— Steve Norcini, Radnor Township engineer