Resident upset about stormwater overflow issues

Township denies perceived retaliation

Upper St. Clair resident Jeff Valperga says he’s been dealing with raw sewage overflow coming into his yard and basement for nine years.

Mr. Valperga, who lives on Walther Lane, addressed Upper St. Clair Commissioners at a Jan. 7 meeting about the problem, something he has been doing regularly.

Although the problem has been going on for years, Mr. Valperga said it has gotten much worse recently and that sewage gets in his yard even during a moderate rain event.

He said that every time it rains, thousands of gallons of raw sewage are being deposited into Graeser’s Run, a creek that runs past South Hills Village along McLaughlin Run Road, which overflows onto his property.

In an email to the Post-Gazette, Mr. Valperga said manhole covers are “literally being blown off” and raw sewage is getting on both his and his neighbor’s lawn and in their basements.

He said along with raw sewage, debris of all sorts, including dead rats, condoms and tampons, makes its way onto his property.

“Every time it moderately rains, I’m getting raw sewage,” he said.

Mr. Valpegra said he complained to the commissioners about the problem about a year ago.

“And a year ago I stopped getting maintenance on my road,” like plowing and salting in the winter, and he said the township is “playing chess” with him.

Mr. Valperga said the township also installed large signs in his front yard alerting of a one-lane bridge ahead, which he called a “joke,” because he said the bridge clearly isn’t wide enough for two cars.

“I came here asking for help — begging for help,” Mr. Valperga said.

Commission President Mark Christie said the township did not put up the signs near the bridge for “retaliation.” He said it was done for safety.

Mr. Christie added the township is “well aware” of Mr. Valperga’s concerns. He pointed out the township has told him it would work with him to put a backflow prevention device in his home to help remedy the problem, but that he never sent in the documents to get that project started.

Mr. Valperga said he has not signed the documents because there was a clause that stated the township would no longer be responsible for the overflow.

Additionally, he said the Department of Environmental Protection recommended a grinder pump and not a backflow preventer.

Township Manager Matthew Serakowski said after the meeting that Walther Lane is a private road, so the township performs “minimal maintenance” on it.

“This isn’t a chess game. I do not agree with those comments,” Mr. Serakowski said, adding that the township has tried to work with Mr. Valperga, but he has yet to return any documents.

He said he looks forward to resolving Mr. Valperga’s problem.