THE CLEAN RIVERS CAMPAIGN

Getting the Biggest Bang Out of Our ALCOSAN Rate Increases In Allegheny County, when it rains – even just a little bit – so much water flows off parking garages, roads and streets that it becomes more than the Allegheny County Sanitation Authority (ALCOSAN) can handle at their treatment plan in Woods Run. The result is that millions of gallons of raw sewage flow into our beloved three rivers. During the boating season, the water is not safe to touch nearly half the time. The Clean Rivers Campaign believes that the best way to solve this problem is science- based large scale investments of rate payer dollars in green infrastructure such as trees, rain gardens and permeable pavements across the ALCOSAN service area. These projects would soak up the water before it gets into the sewer system. The huge advantage to this approach is that we solve our “sewage in the rivers” problem in an ecological manner AND we get many other benefits as well. Green investments would bring jobs to communities that need them. They would bring higher property values. They would bring revitalized shopping districts that would attract people. They would bring cooler temperatures and cleaner air.