DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A small borough in Delaware County is getting $425,000 towards a sanitation project aimed at fixing a flooding problem plaguing the area for years.
Colwyn is less than a mile wide but unlike other areas in the region, the town owns its sewer system. But Borough Manager Richard Knox says after many decades, it’s now under pressure and out of date.
“Piping and things change over time,” he said. “We actually have a company going around now replacing the sewer system so we won’t get rainwater into the system which causes overflow and causes us to pay fines if we don’t maintain.”
Flooding from Darby Creek which happens multiple times a year, heavily impacts their neighborhood and sanitary pipes.
“When these outlets get clogged up and we don’t have the proper things in place to receive the amount of water we get from floods it causes that damage to the system,” Knox said.
Knox says he believes the money will go a long way and provide immediate help for residents when the creek inevitably floods.
“Having that updated piping so we don’t get the breaks, we don’t get the collapses in the streets, all the different things that can happen when those pipes are compromised,” he said.