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Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run Stormwater Control Project
Overview:
Flooding,
water quality degradation, and stream bank erosion in
the Burroughs Run and Poponoe Run watersheds have been
problems for many years. Uncontrolled development in
the headwater areas and poor floodplain management practices
have further aggravated flooding and reduced the quality
of stormwater runoff. Reducing flooding can also lessen
the risk of sanitary and combined sewer back-ups caused
by stormwater inflow and infiltration. The project is
necessary to protect homes and businesses that are impacted
by flooding. Click here to read the full Executive Summary of the BR/PR project (1.89 MB).
Before the Burroughs Run/Popenoe Run
Stormwater Control Project can move beyond the design
stage, individual property owners, both commercial and
residential, have to grant MUB rights of way to begin
the work. Click here to see the status of each Right of Way.
Q
and A for Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run Project
Click
on a question and link to the answer.
What
is the Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run (BR/PR) project?
What
area is affected?
Why
is this project necessary?
Why
is runoff a problem?
When
did plans for this project begin and what prompted it?
Describe
the areas that must changed. What all is involved in
making the changes?
How
much will the project cost, and how will it be paid
for?
Are
there any grants to help pay for the project?
Will
rates go up? Which rates?
What
is the timeframe for the project?
What
new practices will developers have to adopt?
What
is the Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run (BR/PR) project?
The
Burroughs Run/Poponoe Run stormwater management project
is a solution created by the  Morgantown
Utility Board to reduce flooding and improve stormwater
quality in the watershed areas of these two creeks that
run through Morgantown.
Flooding,
water quality degradation, and stream bank erosion in
the BR/PR watersheds have been problems for many years.
Uncontrolled development in the headwater areas and
poor floodplain management practices have further aggravated
flooding and reduced the quality of stormwater runoff.
Through improvements to the creek channel and to related
storm sewer facilities, the BR/PR project will help
eliminate flooding of homes and businesses that are
located in the vicinities of these two creeks. The project
will also stabilize the streambanks and stream channel
to reduce erosion and, as a result, will improve overall
water quality of the streams.
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What
area of Morgantown is affected?
Properties
adjacent to Burroughs and Popenoe Runs are most impacted,
but flooding disrupts the lives of many more people
who either live or must travel through the area. 
The
Burroughs Run watershed covers approximately 667 acres
from Van Voorhis Road through the Suncrest area of the
city. It contains 850 single family residences and 5.8
million square feet of non-residential impervious area.
The portion of the BR stream that will be improved extends
from Van Voorhis Road at Burroughs Street to an area
near the National Energy Technology Laboratory just
downstream of Woodland Drive.
The Poponoe Run watershed drainage area is 764 acres
and contains 815 single family residences and 9.3 million
square feet of non-residential impervious surfaces within
the project area. The portion of the PR stream
that will be improved extends along Patteson Drive from
Takoma Street to an area within Krepps Park, just downstream
of Laurel Street. PR will also be improved where it
crosses Willowdale Road just upstream of the WVU football
stadium.
To
view the current and proposed floodplain for the BR
project area, click here.
To
view the current and proposed floodplain for the PR
project area, click here.
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Why
is this project necessary?
The
project is needed to protect homes and businesses that
are impacted by flooding that plagues the area in times
of heavy rain. Forty-nine structures are directly affected,
36 in the Burroughs Run vicinity
and 13 in the Poponoe Run vicinity. Properties that
do not directly suffer flooding are also affected. Negative
impacts include loss of access, inconvenience, interruption
of normal daily services, and loss of property values.
These indirect impacts conceivably apply to every home
and business in the project area. Additionally, the
current floodwater flows in Burroughs and Poponoe Runs
cause streambank erosion and degraded water quality.
The
improvements proposed for this project will correct
these conditions. Reducing flooding will also lessen
the risk of sanitary and combined sewer back-ups caused
by stormwater inflow and infiltration.
To
view the current and proposed floodplain for the BR
project area, click here.
To
view the current and proposed floodplain for the PR
project area, click here.
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Why
is runoff a problem?
Development
has exploded in this part of Morgantown. Conditions
have been worsened by much of the development being
outside of the Morgantown municipal limits where, for
years, growth was  allowed
without the controlling standards of the city.
Buildings
(including residences), parking lots, driveways and
paved streets—what are referred to as impervious surfaces—don’t
allow rain to soak into the ground. The rain that is
not absorbed is called runoff. As impervious area is
added, runoff increases, and all of the runoff water
eventually makes its way to Burroughs Run and Poponoe
Run creeks.
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When
did plans for this project begin and what prompted it?
Flooding
became more frequent and more severe as commercial,
institutional, recreational, and residential growth
continued in the area. Frustration among residents and
other concerned parties reached a new high on July 19,
1996, when the area received more than five inches of
rain in 12 hours. People demanded that something be
done.
As
a way to resolve the problem, MUB sponsored state legislation
to allow creation of municipally owned stormwater utilities.
The legislation would allow the utilities to address
stormwater needs on a watershed basis so they would
not be limited by municipal boundaries. The legislation
was enacted in July 2001. Morgantown became the first
city in the state to exercise the new authority by enacting
a set of stormwater ordinances in May and July of 2002.
MUB
began engineering studies in 2003 to analyze the problem
and to develop alternative solutions. A preliminary
engineering report was prepared in 2004, and project
funding was secured from the WV DEP. Detailed project
design began in the fall of 2004, but progress was hampered
by mid 1995 when it was determined that high land values
made construction of proposed detention ponds unfeasible.
The
project was redesigned in 2006 to eliminate the ponds
(and their high property cost) and to substitute stream
channel improvements in their place. The revised design
was completed in late 2006. The project is undergoing
its final regulatory reviews and is being prepared to
solicit construction bids.
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Describe
the areas that have to be changed. What all is involved
in making the changes?
 Correction
of current conditions will include extensive improvements
to the stream channels. Where streets cross the streams,
culverts will be replaced with appropriately sized upgrades.
These improvements will convey peak stream flows through
the project area with minimal flooding of structures.
The
Burroughs Run stream channel will be widened and/or
deepened (going upstream) from Woodland Drive to a point
just downstream of the intersection of Burroughs Street
and Van Voorhis Road . Natural stream restoration has
been included in the reconstruction details to the extent
practicable in an urban setting. An existing wetland,
known locally as Suncrest Lake , through which Burroughs
Run flows, will be lowered and restructured to fit the
new stream profile. A new storm sewer and inlets will
be installed along Dogwood Avenue from Killarney Street
to Lashley Street . This new storm sewer will capture
and convey overflow that escapes an existing 90-inch
culvert at the intersection of Dogwood and Killarney.
To
see an overview of the BR project area, click here.
The
Poponoe Run stream channel will be widened and/or deepened
(going upstream) from Laurel Street to Baldwin Street
. The close proximity of a major church structure on
the northern edge of the stream and Patteson Drive on
the southern edge of the stream will require the use
of vinyl sheet piling to ensure stability of the modified
stream banks. A new storm sewer and inlets will be built
from Baldwin Street to Takoma Street . This new storm
sewer will capture overland flow from the low point
of Patteson Drive and convey it more efficiently to
Poponoe Run. A culvert crossing Willowdale Road (upstream
of the WVU football stadium) will also be replaced.
To
see an overview of the PR project area, click here.
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How
much will the project cost, and how will it be paid
for?
The
estimated project cost is $7,571,000. The majority of
this cost will be funded through a WV
DEP state revolving
fund loan at a three percent interest rate over
20 years. It is notable that this project will be the
first stormwater project to be financed by this important
state funding program. The debt service on this loan
will be about $476,000 per year. Revenue to pay this
debt service will be obtained by an increase in the
rates charged to our stormwater customers.
To
view the budget for the BR/PR stormwater project, click
here.
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Are
there any grants to help pay for the project?
Yes.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation has committed
to contributing $300,000, and the WV Department of Environmental
Protection has committed a grant of $250,000 using EPA
319 funds. These grants will be
applied directly toward the project cost in order to
reduce the amount of the loan.
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Will
rates go up? Which rates?
Yes.
Existing stormwater rates will need to be increased
to pay the debt service for the new loan. The Morgantown
City Council supports the project knowing that such
an increase will be  necessary.
The stormwater
utility collects fees from residences and businesses,
providing a source of continual funding and financing
to fix stormwater-related problems. Residential structures
are all charged the same amount based on average square
footage of homes, and commercial buildings are charged
by actual square footage.
Residential
rates will remain a flat fee and will increase from
$3.63 to $5.30 monthly. Non-residential rates will remain
charged per 1,000 square feet of impervious area and
will increase from $1.45 to $2.12 per month.
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What
is the timeframe for the project?
Bids
for the BR/PR project are expected to be solicited in
late March and early April 2007, and the loan closing is to follow as soon thereafter as possible, tentatively late July. Construction is sceduled to begin in summer of 2007 and is expected to take 18 months.
Project completion is expected in February 2009.
To
view the schedule for the BR/PR stormwater project,
click here.
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What
new practices will developers have to adopt?
MUB
has implemented a set of stormwater management practices
that are required of all new developments in the utility
service area. Two are particularly effective: The first
is that all new developments must provide adequate detention
of rainwater to ensure that post-development (future)
flow rates do not exceed predevelopment (current) flow
rates from the site. The second is that redevelopment
projects must achieve a 10 percent reduction in runoff
flow rates between current conditions and post-development
(future) conditions. The stringency of these requirements
will increase in August 2010.
To
view the ordinances governing stormwater management,
click here.
As
a result of these new stormwater management practices,
flooding and flood-related problems will not become
any worse in the future than they are today, regardless
of increases in population or growth of new developments.
These combined measures offer a real solution to effectively
reduce this historic flooding.
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