Pittsburgh residents listen as stormwater experts discuss ways to prevent flooding, protect our waterways, and save money.
In case you missed it: Pittsburgh Water and Penn State Extension were excited to host another Save Water, Save Money Stormwater Workshop last month for our customers interested in learning how to better manage stormwater on their properties. Simple actions like planting a native tree to larger measures that retain stormwater can benefit the storm sewer system, improve local waterways, and help to reduce your monthly water bill.
Held at The Kingsley Association on March 26th, our most recent workshop featured subject matter experts from both Pittsburgh Water and Penn State Extension. The Penn State team opened the evening with a presentation about our local watershed and using green infrastructure – like permeable pavers, rain barrels and native vegetation and trees – to prevent issues like poorly managed stormwater runoff and pollution.
- Permeable pavers are a paving system composed of porous material designed to allow stormwater to permeate into the soil. Unlike impervious surfaces like asphalt or concrete, permeable pavers create a stable surface while still allowing water to infiltrate into the soil. By reducing stormwater runoff in this way, permeable pavers provide for local flood control while helping protect the health and quality of our waterways.
- Rain barrels are tanks that are connected to a building’s downspout to collect stormwater from the building’s roof and gutters for later use in gardening or otherwise. Capturing and storing stormwater in this way helps prevent excess runoff while reducing tap water waste later on. Attendees learned that the water in rain barrels is best used for garden plants that are not intended to be eaten, due to any contamination that could enter the barrels from the roof.
- Native vegetation and trees can be an important factor in stormwater management because these plants are adapted to do just that. Their root systems help prevent soil erosion and aid in water absorption, slowing stormwater flows, and preventing flooding and excess runoff, all while acting as natural filters for potential waterway pollutants.
Because of the importance of these and other stormwater mitigation efforts, Pittsburgh Water offers a Stormwater Fee Credit Program for customers who install and maintain approved stormwater management systems on their property. Details of the program was shared with attendees, and they were invited to ask questions and learn how to qualify.
Understanding Pittsburgh's Sewer System
The Pittsburgh Water team provided attendees with a comprehensive breakdown of how our sewer system functions and encouraged attendees to consider how better stormwater management benefits us all by helping to prevent flooding, basement backups, and combined sewer overflows into our waterways.
Pittsburgh Water maintains the sewer system for the entire city of Pittsburgh. That includes approximately 1,220 miles of sewer pipe, 29,000 manholes, 30,000 catch basins, 185 storm outfalls, and 35 combined sewer overflow outfalls. All this infrastructure manages sewage leaving homes and businesses across Pittsburgh, and, when it rains, captures stormwater flowing across yards, streets, and parking lots.
Throughout Pittsburgh, much of our sewer infrastructure is over a century old and 75% of the system is a combined sewer system, which carries both sewage and stormwater through the same pipes. During heavy rain events, these combined sewers can back up or overflow into our waterways when stressed beyond their capacity, leading to pollution entering our rivers and streams. Since 2018, Pittsburgh Water has constructed several stormwater improvements that use green infrastructure and natural solutions to capture and slow down excess rain before it enters the combined sewer system.
The remaining 25% of our sewer infrastructure is a separate storm sewer system, technically referred to as a municipal separate storm sewer system or MS4. In these areas, sewage from homes and businesses enter one pipe and stormwater is directed into its own. During storms, rainwater is directed into the storm sewer system through inlets and the storm sewer pipe sends the excess water to streams and rivers. In the separated areas, Pittsburgh Water is working to identify and prevent illicit discharges and has constructed stream restoration projects along Saw Mill Run and installed new stormwater infrastructure to filter pollutants before entering local waterways. These investments into our sewer and stormwater systems are crucial to protecting public health and the environment.
Find Resources and Future Events
Thank you to all our neighbors who attended! We hope you left with some new ideas to put into practice and the encouragement that all of us can make a positive impact on the health of our neighborhoods, rivers, and streams. If you missed this presentation, please look for upcoming events on our Events & Meetings page. You can also learn more about managing stormwater and our various Customer Assistance Programs on our website.
