Phyllis Coulter remembers the day seven years ago -- July 1, 1997 -- that led her family to sell their home in Pitcairn and move to higher ground.
A torrential downpour dropped 4 inches of rain on Pitcairn and Monroeville in 90 minutes, causing normally tame Dirty Camp Run to flood as many as 400 homes and businesses. A Monroeville firefighter drowned trying to rescue a comrade.
Coulter, 57, and her husband, Donald, 63, who now live in Monroeville, were thankful Sept. 17 when Pitcairn escaped severe damage from the flood that ravaged other Allegheny County communities and caused one death. And they're hoping that nearly $10 million in improvements to Dirty Camp Run from Monroeville to Turtle Creek are made soon to further reduce the chance of flooding in the area.
Pitcairn's good fortune in this month's storm can be credited to more than luck. Last year, the Allegheny County Public Works Department repaired a stretch of county-owned Pitcairn Road near Sugar Camp Park and diverted the stream in the process. The project cost about $600,000, officials said.
"We could tell it worked," said state Sen. Sean Logan, D-Monroeville.
In addition, Monroeville and Pitcairn regularly monitor Dirty Camp Run for trash and debris that could cause flooding. A couple of years ago, officials from both municipalities agreed to clean debris from the waterway and install trash traps -- metal grates along creek tributaries that stop large branches and other debris from clogging the main stream.
"There was no ongoing maintenance prior to this," Logan said. "Bicycles, hot-water tanks, tires would clog (the stream)."
More than $6 million in state money is set aside for a $10 million project that would provide a long-term solution to the Dirty Camp Run problem. Pitcairn is responsible for 20 percent of the cost, or $2 million -- a hefty sum for a community of about 3,600 residents.
Logan said officials are seeking federal and county contributions for part of Pitcairn's share.
Logan said there's no timetable for the project because homes and rights of way must be bought and utility lines moved, in addition to engineering work.
In 1997, Coulter's Pitcairn home sustained more than $65,000 in damage; her business, a model train and bookstore, was destroyed. She said she hopes the Dirty Camp Run project begins soon.
"Anything they can do to help, they need to do it," Coulter said.
