Hermitage residents question what city will do about flooding

HERMITAGE, Pa. -- About 50 city residents showed up at a city commissioners meeting Wednesday to ask what the city is going to do about flooding.
City Manager Gary Hinkson said there were some questions about storm water runoff, but the bigger concern is sanitary sewer backups in basements caused by flooding.
Hinkson said Hermitage had about 40 of those reported during recent heavy rains, most resulting in several inches of raw sewage and storm water in basements. There was one house, however, that was flooded with 4 feet of the mixture in its basement, he said.
People want to know what steps the city is taking to prevent similar occurrences.
Hinkson said there isn't much that can be done about storm water runoff, although the city could make a more aggressive effort to keep that system clean and fully functional.
Sewer backups are a different matter, however, and the city will look at what it can do to prevent that from happening.
Sanitary lines should be secure from rainwater infiltration but that is never the case, he said. Finding and eliminating major sources of infiltration could help, he said.
There were a couple of questions about city liability for damage caused by the backups, but the city has no liability, Hinkson said.