Palmerton has been asked to assist several property owners who continue to deal with water issues from the recent heavy rains.

Borough Manager Donna McGarry said at last week’s borough council meeting that she recently received a call from a property owner on the 500 block of Lehigh Avenue.

“They are still getting some flooding, and (he) asked if there wasn’t more that can be done with the Aquashicola (Creek),” McGarry said.

In response to that request, McGarry said she reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers.

McGarry said they are determining the scope of the original Aquashicola Flood Project that was done in the early 1990s to find out what type of flooding it was intended to prevent, be it 100-year, 500-year, and so forth.

“We have also asked for a description of the storms we have had this past year, whether they have been designated as 100-year, 500-year, or otherwise,” she said.

McGarry said she reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers.

“In my conversation with the Corps of Engineers, I was advised that any new improvements would require a study of the area,” she said.

Any potential improvements would take several years, McGarry said.

“The residents aren’t being forgotten about,” she said. “This is not something that would happen in the next two years; it’s a long, drawn-out process.”

McGarry noted that the borough is responsible to maintain the Aquashicola Creek.

“As part of the original Aquashicola Flood Project, Palmerton borough is required to maintain the project to Corps of Engineers standards,” she said. “They periodically inspect it and make any recommendations for maintenance.”

It was then suggested that council begin the process.

Heavy rainfalls often cause the Aquashicola Creek to jump its banks.