Middletown Holds Meeting on Flooding Problems

The Middletown Board of Supervisors held a meeting recently to discuss the major flooding problems that seem rampant in the township and the steps that are going to be taken to solve the issue.

Over the years of Middletown’s existence, many residents and board members have admitted that the excess water in the township is a major problem throughout the township and a plan needs to be made to stem the constant floods seen in the township.

“We want to start the conversation [and] put together a plan to solve the issue,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Pat Mallon told the the dozens of concerned citizens who attended.

During the meeting, the board discussed their plans to help stem the flooding and asked residents for their opinion on longer-term future improvements.

One of the plans for this year, which is being put into place right now, is lowering the road on Clay Avenue, so the stormwater flows down the street instead of into resident’s yards, and adding more stormwater collection inlets to the street.

Another plan that the board wishes to instate this year, would be to put water inlets in the backyards of residents on Fir Avenue. However, the township would need to get permission from the residents on Fir Avenue to put in these drains to be able to fully execute this plan.

Although these plans should alleviate some of the flooding, township engineers said that this would only be a short-term solution.

A longer-term solution, as suggested by the township’s engineers and board members, was building a stormwater basin to help collect the excess water in the township.

If this water basin were to be approved, the ideal places for it would be in the open space by Clay Avenue or in the open space by I-95.

However, that approval is a long way away, for the board made clear that the basin was just a suggestion for the town’s residents to consider.

And consider they did. Residents seemed to chime a negative reaction to the idea of a water basin, especially when it would be “placed in their backyards”. Many were worried about the basin as a bug magnet and as a property destroyer.

Others were simply unsure, considering the fact that there just was not enough information on what the basin would look like or entail.

Township Manager Stephanie Teoli-Kuhls said that the suggestion of a basin is merely to launch the concept out to the public. There is no plans as of this moment to create a water basin.

The board is also asking for the help of Middletown residents in pinpointing the major flooding areas in the township so they can help eradicate the storm water issue as effectively as possible.

Residents are asked to send their name, address, phone number, a description of their flooding issues (where they occur and how often they occur), whether they filed insurance claims for water damage and any other comments to the Township Manager at steoli@middletown-township.org.