Upper Burrell and area environmental officials discovered a faulty PennDOT storm drain that could adversely affect drainage at the proposed Dollar General development at Route 780 and Dewey Drive.
The proposed Dollar General is on commercially zoned land. When the store was first proposed, township officials didn’t expect many obstacles for the development.
But, this month, township supervisors, the municipal engineer and a hydrologist with the Westmoreland Conservation District examined potential drainage issues with the development.
The group discovered a faulty water collection pipe owned by PennDOT that Dollar General wants to use for discharge of its stormwater, said Upper Burrell engineer David Kerchner of Bankson Engineers.
The PennDOT drainage system carries water run-off from Route 780 and surrounding properties.
The PennDOT water collection pipe starts at the corner of Dewey Drive and Route 780 and discharges along Lower Drennan Road. There is broken concrete in the water collection system, which needs to be repaired, he said.
The township alerted PennDOT to the problem, Kerchner said.
PennDOT plans to repair the system in early April, said Jay Ofsanik, spokesman with PennDOT District 12.
The agency is in the process of reviewing two permits for the proposed Dollar General development, a highway occupancy permit and a permit to use PennDOT’s drainage system, Ofsanik said.
James Pillsbury, a hydraulic engineer with the Westmoreland Conservation District, said the PennDOT water collection line was not working, and it could be a source of problems for residents.
“If the Dollar General building is discharging water into the PennDOT line, that water could possibly cause problems on roadways or neighboring properties” Pillsbury said.
“Water will find its own way,” Pillsbury added. “That is the concern. The water may go onto people’s homes.”
Dollar General is still in a due diligence phase for the Upper Burrell site, said Angela Petkovic, a spokeswoman with Dollar General Corp. The company is in the process of securing necessary permits, she said.
