Pittsburgh's $2-Billion Plan To Catch 7 Billion Gallons Of Overflow
More than 12 years after a consent order required a Pennsylvania wastewater utility to make significant changes to its wastewater and stormwater oversight, federal approval has been granted for it to implement a $2 billion-plus, 7-billion-gallon plan.
In January 2008, the Alleghany County Sanitary Authority (Alcosan) was ordered to reduce sewage and stormwater overflows by 85 percent and eliminate all illegal sanitary sewer discharges into local source water. The utility treats wastewater for 83 communities in the county, including Pittsburgh, and operates a treatment plant with 250-MGD capacity. After an extensive journey, a federal court has approved an Alcosan plan that updates and expands this original order.
“The new consent decree allows the authority to implement its ‘Clean Water Plan,’ formerly called its ‘Wet Weather Plan,’ a strategy for reducing sewage overflows into rivers and streams almost every time it rains,” per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The new agreement extends the authority’s original deadline for fixing those overflows by a decade, to 2036. It also proposes building more than 15 miles of underground 14-foot-in-diameter storage tunnels along the city’s rivers to capture the overflows during storms.”
Alcosan is reportedly planning significant improvements to its facilities, including a $300 million expansion of a local treatment plant, the addition of pipes to its conveyance system, and the construction of diversion structures and tunnels.
“Alcosan’s Clean Water Plan proposes measures for reducing 7 billion gallons of overflows into local waterways,” TribLive reported. “The plan includes expanding wet-weather capacity of Alcosan’s wastewater treatment plant from 250 million gallons per day to 480 mgd, with a disinfection capacity of 600 mgd. To prevent excess water from entering sewers, the authority intends to repair and line pipes, divert streams that are flowing into sewers and make use of ‘green’ infrastructure such as rain gardens.”
Despite the significant investment and lofty goals, some environmental advocates are concerned that the changes will not be implemented quickly enough.
“Our three rivers are an important part of this region, serving as a source of recreation and drinking,” Steve Hvozdovich, state campaign director for Clean Water Action, told the Post-Gazette. “So it’s important that we correct this issue as soon as possible, especially since indications are that we’re seeing increased rainfall and the problem has persisted for so long.”
To read more about how utilities handle stormwater overflows, visit Water Online’s Stormwater Solutions Center.