Water runoff complaints again flooded a Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners’ meeting.

Unlike in recent months when the complaints were from east side residents, this time the complaints were from west side residents.

Bertie Musselman said she has lived in Salisbury Township for 23 years but has never seen runoff problems at her Fox Run Drive residence as she has since she says the Lehigh Valley Health Network - Cedar Crest detention pond went into operation in fall 2015 on the west side of Cedar Crest Boulevard.

Mussleman, as well as her neighbor, Mary Clare Kibelstis, also of Fox Run Drive, brought her complaints and photographs she said depicted flooding to the May 26 township board meeting. She described what she called “severe erosion” on their properties in the photos she said were taken April 7. The depth of water was 17 inches, she said.

“It’s coming through here and virtually destroying our property,” Musselman said, reporting said she removed debris from the flooding from Kibelstis’ property.

Reading from a copy of the township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and Act 167 for the Little Lehigh Watershed, Musselman said water runoff was not supposed to increase and the quality of water wasn’t supposed to be diminished.

“Did we ever do a downstream water analysis?” Musselman asked.

“Yes,” Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer David J. Tettemer said, noting the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission reviewed and approved the LVHN detention pond. “The township does defer to the county,” Tettemer said.

“As long as they are not increasing the rate of runoff, downstream property owners don’t need to be notified,” Tettemer said.

“My photos will refute that,” Musselman said, who added she has consulted an attorney about her runoff problems.

“There is an easement that goes through there,” Tettemer said. “We could get together and talk about the easement and the swale,” Tettemer said to Musselman.

“We’re respectfully asking that the township restore our property to the original state,” Musselman said.

Tettemer said he will meet with Lehigh County Conservation District and Department of Environmental Protection officials to discuss the problem.

“At this point, it’s an issue the Conservation District wants to discuss with the township,” Tettemer said, adding Musselman had contacted the Conservation District, which contacted the township.

Commissioner President James A. Brown asked if Musselman could attend the meeting. Tettemer said he would inquire and get back to her.

A 600-space surface parking lot at Lehigh Valley Health Network - Cedar Crest was approved, south of the hospital entrance road and north of Fish Hatchery Road, Nov. 5, 2014, by the Salisbury Zoning Hearing Board. Stormwater is discharged into the existing detention pond.

“For 20 years, there wasn’t an issue, and now there’s an issue,” Commissioner Debra Brinton said. Did anybody go out and measure?”

“It shouldn’t drain across our properties,” Kibelstis said, who has lived in the township for 38 years.

“I never knew it was going to drain off like this,” Commissioner Joanne Ackerman said.

“When the hospital did this development, they received all the correct approvals,” Tettemer said.

“Can you expedite this?” Brown asked Tettemer.

“The hospital is in violation,” Musselman alleged. ”We have been subjected to a loss of property values and an inconvenience and cleanup of what looks like Niagara Falls.”

“We need to talk with everyone involved and then we need to make a recommendation to the board [of commissioners],” Tettemer said.