Residents press borough after developer pipe and basin send stormwater into Ridge Road yards

Residents told the Palmyra Borough Council that a drainage pipe installed as part of a recent development is sending stormwater into private yards on Ridge Road and that temporary connections and an overflowing infiltration basin have worsened conditions.

Dave McCloskey, a Ridge Road resident, said the pipe and adjacent basin have left his front yard soggy and prone to erosion. “If you have a sedan, it would do serious damage,” McCloskey said. He told the council that homeowners want the pipe moved at PennDOT’s expense and that the current situation risks property damage.

Roger (borough manager) explained that PennDOT required the developer to replace a pipe under Ridge Road but that the contractor “didn’t get the elevation right,” so the new pipe “doesn’t line up the way it should” with the inlet. Roger said the developer fabricated a temporary connection so the system would function, but that the connection needs to be redone or the developer must obtain permission from affected property owners to make other repairs.

Don Barry and other residents described the basin’s fluctuating water level: on one visit the basin was full to the overflow, on another it was dry and cracked. A resident noted the basin is designed as an infiltration basin and that if it is saturated “it’s already absorbed” water and will overflow faster, sending water down the slope into yards below.

Council members and staff discussed options residents had raised, including asking the borough to send a letter to PennDOT, pursuing a group civil suit through Representative Diamond’s office, or having homeowners coordinate directly with PennDOT. Roger said he would provide PennDOT contact names to residents who asked for them.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the drainage issue during the meeting. The council approved routine consent items earlier in the agenda but did not adopt any ordinance or resolution related to the Ridge Road pipe at this session.

Residents asked the borough to press the developer and PennDOT to produce a permanent fix rather than temporary patches. McCloskey urged the council to “step forward here and take responsibility for errors made,” though borough staff repeatedly noted limits on municipal authority over PennDOT decisions. The council did not commit to litigation or a specific enforcement action during the meeting.

The issue was raised during the public comment period; residents and the borough manager discussed technical details—including an overflow connection to a large basin, an incorrectly pitched outlet, and a temporary fabricated connection—during that period and in subsequent informal conversation with staff. The borough manager said he would share PennDOT contact information and any updates with residents when available.