The Connection Between the Stony Run Headwater Stream at the Ruth Farm and Resident Flooding Issues

 

The development of over 200 homes on a piece of property that contains the headwaters of the Stony Run could be detrimental to this township. As many of us have come to realize, flooding along the Stony Run in recent years has increased greatly. Development along its banks has contributed to the flooding, and for all of the good intentions of those creating storm water management solutions, the failures have been all too real. Ask any of your neighbors that live near the Stony Run. They will speak to you about increased flooding, the likes of which they had not experienced before, this past year alone. They will tell you about the erosion of the banks along the Stony Run.

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For one resident, costs to contain the river during flooding episodes appear to be $25,000 to $30,000. These costs are not covered by the township nor the developer after the development of the site has ended and the developer has moved on. Residents bear the burden of the increased flooding. For the Ruth Farm “Age Qualified” development, the HOA will bear the costs for the storm water management system. We doubt that the buyers of these properties will be educated about their responsibility once the developer walks away from the site. Would any of you purchase a home that comes with this responsibility? Will the HOA monthly fee be enough to cover the costs for these residents and protect the rest of us, and will our wells be impacted from the loss of today’s pervious surface?

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Please take a moment to read this article, which explains the role and importance of headwaters, wetlands and small streams. “Scientists often refer to the benefits humans receive from the natural functioning of ecosystems as ecosystem services. The special physical and biological characteristics of intact small streams and wetlands provide natural flood control, recharge groundwater, trap sediments and pollution from fertilizers, recycle nutrients, create and maintain biological diversity, and sustain the biological productivity of downstream rivers, lakes and estuaries.”

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It continues: "As regions become more urbanized, humans intentionally alter many natural stream channels by replacing them with storm sewers and other artificial conduits. When larger, smoother conduits are substituted for narrow, rough-bottomed natural stream channels, flood frequency increases downstream. For example, three decades of growth in storm sewers and paved surfaces around Watts Branch Creek, Maryland more than tripled the number of floods and increased average annual flood size by 23 percent."