Deibert v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission

15 Pa. D. & C.5th 159
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lehigh County
DecidedJune 15, 2010
Docketno. 2006-C-0084
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 15 Pa. D. & C.5th 159 (Deibert v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lehigh County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Deibert v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, 15 Pa. D. & C.5th 159 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

Johnson, J,

INTRODUCTION

Before the court for consideration is the plaintiffs’ first amended complaint filed June 5, 2006 and plaintiffs’ second amended complaint filed August 5,2009. A non-jury trial was held on September 21-25, October 2 and November 13,2009. The court bifurcated the case, hearing all but the punitive damages claims and cross-claims.

I. Dedication

A. Findings of Fact

(1) On March 9, 2005, a deed of dedication was executed between defendant, Minesite Road L.P. as grantor, and the defendant, Lower Macungie Township (LMT), as grantee, wherein a drainage easement identified as tract 7 — basin 1 on lot 55 was dedicated to LMT.

[161]*161(2) The storm water management system, comprising basin 1, which was designed by Lehigh Engineering Associates on behalf of Corrado Homes Inc. and constructed and installed by Schlouch Inc., a Gianni Homes Inc. subcontractor, has not been dedicated to LMT.

(3) LMT is not an owner of the dedicated land or any improvements thereon.

B. Conclusions of Law

Dedication does not vest a fee simple title in a municipality. In general terms, when property is dedicated, the public obtains an easement. The fee continues to be in the owner of the land, notwithstanding the public’s right to use the dedicated property. See Versailles Township Authority v. McKeesport, 171 Pa. Super. 377, 90 A.2d 581 (1952). Therefore, it is clear that LMT is not a landowner of the subject drainage basin, subject to the rights and responsibilities associated therewith.

II. Proposed Plan’s Violation of the Storm Water Management Act, 32 PS. §680.1, et seq. (SWMA), Little Lehigh Creek Watershed Act 167 — Storm Water Management Plan Enacted Under the Storm Water Management Act, 32 P.S. §680.1, et seq. (Act 167) and the Subdivision and Land Developement Ordinance of Lower Macungie Township (SALDO)

(1) Corrado, as developer, sought and received subdivision and land development approval from LMT for the construction of single-family homes on approximately 54 lots known as the Corrado Homes development.

[162]*162(2) Corrado assigned its right, title and interest under an agreement of sale to Minesite.

(3) The subject land is within a watershed known as the “Little Lehigh Creek Watershed.”

(4) On January 15, 2004, LMT approved the Corrado Homes Subdivision under the SALDO which includes a storm water management ordinance.

(5) On or about March 16, 2005, Minesite conveyed a part of the Corrado Homes Subdivision, developed as phase I, to Gianni, who then renamed the part conveyed, “Hidden Valley Meadows.”

(6) Corrado and Minesite installed the storm water management facilities, as designed and approved, located within the Corrado Homes development.

(7) Gianni installed the storm water management facilities, as designed and approved, located within the Hidden Valley Meadows development.

(8) The storm water management system, as designed, approved and installed, has substantially increased the volume of surface water onto land owned by the plaintiffs, William F. Deibert and Alma Deibert, husband and wife and Michael P. Borowski and Pamela Borowski, husband and wife which has caused significant injury and damage that continues to the present day.

(9) Prior to the Corrado Homes and Hidden Valley Meadows developments being created, 15.11 acres of land within the watershed occupied by those developments drained to lands of Deibert and Borowski.

(10) After the Corrado Homes and Flidden Valley Meadows developments were created, an additional 32.7244 acres of land drained to the lands of Deibert and [163]*163Borowski, which increased the land area flowing to Deibert and Borowski by 300 percent.

(11) Conrado made no downstream analysis. There are no public storm sewers or other storm water conveyance facilities on the lands of Deibert and Borowski.

(12) The storm water management facilities, as designed, approved and installed, are not adequate to reasonably manage substantial increases in volume of surface water created by the Corrado Homes and Hidden Valley Meadows developments.

(13) The discharge of surface water from the land owned by Gianni and Minesite empties into land owned by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and is channeled by concrete pipes and empties onto land owned by Deibert and Borowski.

(14) A substantial area of land originally drained to closed depressions located on land now known as the Hidden Valley Meadows development.

(15) A “closed depression” is an area that is low-lying and has no surface water outlet, therefore retaining storm water that flows into it.

(16) Minesite and Gianni accomplished the redirection of off-site storm water onto the lands of Deibert and Borowski as the result of earth moving that created diversion berms and a system of storm water inlets and pipes that transport surface water to detention basin number 1, then through the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission pipes and then onto the lands of Deibert and Borowski.

(17) The storm water management system, as designed, approved and installed, contains a diversion berm disguised as a planting buffer adjacent to Minesite Road [164]*164(SR2015) that causes surface water to be interrupted from its natural flow and be diverted into the pipes, basins, streets and detention pond of the Corrado Homes and Hidden Valley Meadows developments that eliminates natural percolation and dissipation into the soil and causes a substantial increase in the volume of surface water onto lands of Deibert and Borowski.

(18) The storm water management plan, as designed, improved and installed, incorporates artificial facilities consisting of diversion berms, pipes, inlets, detention basins and other means, to channel surface water onto lands of Deibert and Borowski.

(19) Storm events are categorized based on how often a similar rain event will recur.

(20) The volume of water discharged onto the lands of Deibert and Borowski for a two year stonn, 10-year storm, 25-year storm and 100-year storm has been substantially increased by the storm water management facilities, as designed, approved and installed.

(21) The post-development volume associated with a 10-year storm (5.99 acre feet) is now the equivalent of a 100 year storm (5.56 acre feet) pre-developments. So, whereas, pre-development, the volume was such that it would return every 100 years on average, now that same volume will return every 10 years on average.

(22) Even though design standards under the SALDO call for the management of rain storm predicated on 100 year and greater storms, the storm water management facilities fail in minor rain storm events.

(23) The average increase in volume for subdivision and land development associated with a residential use is 17 percent.

[165]

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Related

Glencannon Homes Ass'n v. North Strabane Township
116 A.3d 706 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 Pa. D. & C.5th 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/deibert-v-pennsylvania-turnpike-commission-pactcompllehigh-2010.