George Hawkins at Clean Rivers Campaign talk, May 13. Photo: Tom Hoffman

DC Water is changing the way stormwater is managed
in the most important metropolis in the country.

Under George Hawkin’s leadership DC Water is changing from strictly gray tunnels to large scale green infrastructure. It is doing so carefully and thoughtfully, with an eye towards creating an infrastructure that works, brings benefits to the community, especially jobs, and is an investment in the region’s future. Along with the Beyond Tunnel Vision talk he gave to over 100 people at the Phipp’s lecture hall, George met with key leaders in the ALCOSAN decision making process and was on WESA’s Essential Pittsburgh where he shared his vision and strategy. If a green infrastructure can be done in DC, why can it not be done in Pittsburgh?

As part of its ongoing series of talks on a green solution to the stormwater/sewage problem in Pittsburgh, the Clean Rivers Campaign invites you to the free public talk given by: :

George Hawkins, General Manager
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

6:30 pm, Monday, May 13
Botany Hall – Phipps Conservatory
1 Schenley Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Special reception (with food and drink) at 5:30 pm.

Mr. Hawkins comes to us with more than two decades of experience in water, environmental, and smart growth issues. At DC Water, Mr. Hawkins is managing an ambitious agenda to improve aging infrastructure and comply with newer, more stringent regulatory requirements. He has also negotiated changes to DC Water’s consent decree to include significant green infrastructure components.

Please register HERE – space is limited.

Little Blue Run impoundment. Photo: LBRAG

In a major move, the EPA has proposed four options for regulating the discharge into streams and rivers of toxic wastewater from nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. Resulting from a lawsuit by the Sierra Club and others in the US Court of Appeals, the court-ordered measure requires the EPA to select one of the four options by May, 2014. Power plant operators would likely prefer no regulation, but from the environmental viewpoint, only one of the four options appears to be acceptable. If the EPA chooses the right option, the use of impoundments like the Little Blue Run will be curtailed.

Photo: Friends of Rock Run

If you really wanted to damage a prime natural area with industrial shale gas extraction, it would be hard to chose a better site place than the Rock Run watershed in Loyalsock State Forest in Sullivan County, northeast of Williamsport. Rock Run is often referred to as “the prettiest stream’ in Pennsylvania, a stream that the state should be protecting with the utmost effort. The state does not own the mineral rights beneath a portion of the Rock Run watershed, but according to the 1983 deed the DCNR has the authority to restrict development in that portion of the watershed. At issue is whether DCNR will exercise its authority and limit Andarko Petroleum from drilling in the area. See HERE for more background information and how you can help.

After receiving public comment the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed removing chloride and sulfate standards from the final version of the state water quality standards. These are pollutants commonly found in oil and gas wastewater as well as from mining and coal power plants, its critical that we have these standards protecting our rivers and streams. Seen as concessions to industry, member groups of the state-wide Clean Water Campaign are asking the state Environmental Quality Board to reject the DEP proposal. (more…)

The Clean Rivers Campaign and Chatham University’s School of Sustainability and Environment invite the public to a talk:

“Save the Rain: Balancing Green and Gray Stormwater
Infrastructure Solutions in Syracuse”

Matthew Millea, Onondaga County, New York

6:30 pm, Tuesday, April 9
Eddy Theatre –
Chatham University
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
(Use the parking lot on Murrayhill Ave.)

Special reception (with food and drink) at 6:00 pm.

As Deputy County Executive Mr. Millea oversees the operations of nine county departments and assists the County Executive with the development and implementation of the annual county budget. Matt has been charged wiht managing the County’s “Save the Rain” effort, which is a multi-million dollar public works program using both grey and green infrastructure approaches to mitigate sewer overflows into Onondaga Lake.

Please register HERE.

On March13 thirty members of Pittsburgh United presented a letter to Pittsburgh City Council calling for Council to urge Mayor Ravenstahl to implement several measures that were passed in to law in 2010 and 2011. Included among those measures was the restriction of diesel engine emissions at construction sites, and the regulation of storm water run off. Given Ravenstahl’s retirement, it is expected that this failure for Mayoral action will become an issue for candidates in the Mayoral Primary election. Pittsburgh United is a coalition of unions and community, faith-based, and environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, and GASP.

The Clean Rivers Campaign series continues …

Matthew Jones, PE, PhD, Principal Engineer at Hazen and Sawyer, PC

7:00 pm, Tuesday, March 19
Auditorium, Frick Arts Building
Univ. of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Reception (with food and drink) at 6:30 pm.

Dr. Mathews will share his North Carolina expertise with storm water modeling, designing green infrastructure, and employing best management practices.

Please register HERE.

Clean Rivers Town Hall meeting, Feb. 28. Photo: J. England

The campaign for a ‘more green, less gray’ approach towards keeping storm water out of our sanitation system gathered strong regional support at a February 28 Town Hall meeting. More than 250 people heard officials from sixteen municipalities pledge their support for bio-swales, rain gardens, permeable surfaces, rain barrels, etc., instead of relying on one huge tunnel feeding to energy-intensive separation treatment. Heeding the Clean Rivers Campaign, Alcosan has asked the EPA for an 18-month extension in order to modify their project along greener and more job-sustaining lines.

Photo: State of South Dakota

Planning a highway project can take a long time, but often, when the funds suddenly become available, there is a big rush to get final approval from all the various agencies. Sometimes that last minute rush can neglect some important factors, and that is what a number of environmental organizations including the Sierra Club believe may happened in Somerset County. After many years, PennDOT is now beginning to improve the section of US Rte 219 between Somerset and Meyersdale, and last month the public was asked to comment on the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit. Among the apparent failures of the planning process was an incomplete assessment of bat hibernacula, neglect of the cumulative impact on wetlands, and the absence of a detailed plan for the disposal of millions of cubic yards of excess soil material. The Sierra Club and Mountain Watershed Association called for re-submission of application for the USACE permit.

Photo: Pennsylvania DCNR

At the request of Pennsylvania’s DEP, on February 14 the EPA removed Presque Isle Bay from its list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. This is the second area that has sufficiently recovered. At the time of the DEP’s request in December, DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said “After more than 20 years of investigations, monitoring and restoration actions, the bay is healthy and ready to be removed from the list. It is a success story for the City of Erie and its economy, and it demonstrates how government and the public can work together to accomplish environmental protection and restoration.”

The campaign to ensure a greener and cheaper solution to Alcosan’s storm water/sewage problem is steadily moving ahead. On February 28 there will be a Town Hall meeting where County leaders, municipal officials, and ratepayers will gather to discuss the important investment and how prioritizing green infrastructure could benefit our communities!

Following the successful February event in the Speakers Series, on March 19 experienced engineer Dr. Mathew Jones will talk about how a green infrastructure can be designed for storm water management.

When it rains, sewage flows into our rivers, streets, and basements. ALCOSAN and our municipalities are required by law to fix our aging sewer system and protect our water. Fixing this problem will be the largest-ever public works investment in our region.

7:00 pm, Thursday, Feb 28
United Steel Workers
60 Boulevard of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

County leaders, municipal officials, and ratepayers will gather to discuss this important investment and how prioritizing green infrastructure could benefit our communities!

As concerned ratepayers, we want the most benefit for the money we must invest – benefits like good, local jobs, revitalized neighborhoods and business districts, cleaner air, reduced flooding, and the potential to lower costs!

Elected officials, community leaders, and citizens outside Alcosan hearing, Oct. 19. Photo: Tom Hoffman

Fixing our sewer system will be the largest-ever public works investment in Allegheny County. Previously ALCOSAN preferred a more than $2 billion ‘grey’ solution with a massive tunnel. But to their credit, and after persistent urging from the Clean Rivers Campaign, ALCOSAN is now turning towards a ‘green’ solution. ALCOSAN has asked the EPA for an 18 month extension to study green infrastructure so they can incorporate it into the plan. (more…)

The Clean Rivers Campaign is hosting a monthly speaker series to share information from other regions about how we can make green infrastructure a reality in Pittsburgh. The third event will be held:

6:00 pm, Tuesday, February 12
“ Green Communities: Sowing Opportunities, Growing Benefits “

The speaker will be Dr. Darla Inglis,  Programs Director for the Low Impact Development Initiative at UCLA-Davis

Reception (with food and beverages) at 5:30 pm.

Room 2315, Doherty Hall -
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Please RSVP. For more information, contact Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy at jenny at pittsburghunited dot org. or (412) 231-8648.