After more than a decade of work, it appears that plans have run aground for a new two-mile, $3 million to $6 million levee system to protect Marietta Borough from Susquehanna River floods.

Now, residents and officials are wondering who caused the failure, especially because someone has distributed what appear to be photocopied documents pointing the finger squarely at borough council.

The documents have been appearing in residents' mailboxes and on front porches, members of the borough planning commission said Aug. 18.

One document dated June 24 is a letter from Marietta Borough to the state Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Waterways Engineering. The letter says the plan for the levee "as currently configured, requires a financial burden of the borough that we would be hard pressed, if at all possible, to meet."

"I am sure you are aware the borough is small and without an industrial base," the letter reads, "Our main revenue source is property tax on a population of which a majority of whom are on a fixed income."

The letter is signed by council members including Miriam Fletcher, president, and Mayor Oliver Overlander.

The exception is Peggy Brewer, a council member who did not sign the document. Calls to Brewer on Aug. 19 to ask about why her signature does not appear on the documents were not returned.

Calls to Marietta Borough officials seeking comment were not returned.

Fletcher released a statement by e-mail Aug. 20 saying, "Council is exploring … the possibility of scaling back the current project as long as adequate protection be afforded to the borough. If this is not feasible, a public meeting will be scheduled to inform the residents of the costs" of the legal process to acquire easements and "the possibility of the need" to hire a "work force for levee maintenance." She writes, " … council could decide to seek a referendum on this issue."

Another document dated July 24 is a response from Douglas Hill, project co-ordinator for the Bureau of Waterways Engineering. It says "our efforts are currently focused on other flood-prone communities" and that it may be some time before "we can return our attentions to the Marietta project."

Hill confirmed Aug. 19 that both documents were authentic.

He said the proposed plan would require Marietta to maintain an escrow account of $26,250 per year plus set aside a one-time performance security of $78,750 to act as a "cushion" in case of financial problems.

Also, Hill said the borough would be responsible for obtaining easements relating to the project and also replacing pavement in case the project requires drainage pipes to travel under roads. The borough also would have to pay for relocation of affected utility lines.

Meanwhile, as part of the agreement to build the levee, DEP would provide funding for the project's construction. DEP also would obtain all federal and state permits for the project and handle the bidding process to get contractors. DEP also would be responsible for requesting additional funds for the project through the state's capital budget as well as preparing the project's final drawings and specifications.

Dennis Shumaker, president of the borough planning commission, said Aug. 18 the documents are "very disappointing," especially because the correspondence had not been made public at any of the last three borough council meetings.

"With this levee, people's lives and property are at stake. But you had to come here to the planning commission to hear about it," Shumaker said.

One resident who did not identify herself at the Aug. 18 meeting complained during the discussion of the documents that "there's deception going on in Marietta Borough's local government."

"My flood insurance covers nothing. If I have to pay money, I'd rather it went to a project that would protect us," she said. "The fact that we're only finding out about it here … is a shame."

According to published reports, the levee idea was first proposed in 1996 and would have been constructed to protect the town from floods, including 100-year floods like the kind that resulted from Tropical Storm Agnes and devastated the town in June 1972.