Delmont moves forward on forming a stormwater authority that would assess residents fees

Delmont officials will advertise an ordinance to potentially create a stormwater authority in the borough that would assess fees based on residents’ usage.

Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to explore the authority further, as borough officials work their way through two state consent agreements and several million dollars’ worth of recent and upcoming sewer and stormwater projects.

Stormwater runoff is rain that is not absorbed by the natural features of land but rather “runs off” and enters a public collection system. Impervious surfaces such as driveways can produce runoff.

Monroeville in recent years has enacted stormwater fees, and nearby North Huntingdon is in the process of creating its own.

“I just see how much we’re continuing to spend on stormwater, and forming an authority to assess fees based on residents’ usage, I think, is a more equitable way than imposing a tax increase,” Councilman Stan Cheyne said.

The borough must undertake stormwater projects to meet state requirements and pollution-reduction goals, including regulations under the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, program.

Fees from a future authority would be calculated based on the size of a resident’s property and the features that create stormwater runoff.

Before any fees could be imposed, an engineering study would have to take place, according to borough Solicitor Dan Hewitt.

Once an authority is formed, its members would use the engineering study to set up how and when billing would happen, Cheyne said.

Shields Farm trails

Council President Andy Shissler proposed partnering with local Scout troops to clear brush along a series of trails cut into the woods at the Shields Farm property.

“If we could figure out the distance back there and create some sort of loop we could use for a 5K event, I think we’d get a good deal of interest,” Cheyne said.

Upcoming events

• The annual boroughwide cleanup will take place April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Delmont Visionary Committee volunteers will help organize the event and will provide vests, gloves and trash bags for volunteers.

The committee is also hosting a T-shirt design contest, and winners will be announced at the boroughwide cleanup. For more information, see the committee’s Facebook page.

• The Delmont Historical Preservation Society and Delmont Lions Club will host a trivia night to raise money for repairs on the borough’s historic water trough.

Located on East Pittsburgh Street, the wooden trough was a major source of fresh water for early local residents, with water piped from the spring in the center of town. The Lions and the former historical society rebuilt it in 1973, and in 2016 the Lions added a liner, pump and solar panel to give it a historically-accurate appearance.

The groups will host a Feb. 23 trivia night at the Red Barn Winery, 275 Manor Road in Salem . It will be from 7-9 p.m., and will also include a celebration for the 250th anniversary of Westmoreland County, which was established on Feb. 26, 1773.

Reservations are suggested. For more, call or text 724-420-4455.

• The borough will host its annual Delmont Daze celebration on Aug. 5.