The Wilkinsburg Stormwater Resiliency Project (WSRP) is an effort to address stormwater in Wilkinsburg’s downtown business district with Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).
In 2019 Upstream Pittsburgh identified two large publicly owned municipal parking lots in the Wilkinsburg Business district which contributed significant amounts of water to the storm sewer system and in large storms, neighboring streets.
With funding from the PADEP’s Growing Greener Grant Program, Upstream Pittsburgh has worked with Sci-Tek Consultants Inc. to develop plans to retrofit the parking lots with rain gardens and bioswales in place of concrete medians. The removal of impermeable pavement and the replacement with engineered soil, new trees, and native plants will help manage stormwater and reduce the overall volume entering the storm sewer system, improving water quality and reducing flooding.
This project was designed by UpstreamPgh and Sci-Tek Consultants Inc and construction of Phase 1 was completed in Summer of 2023.
South Ave. Phase 1
Wallace Ave.
Partners
The Borough of Wilkinsburg
Sci-Tek Consultants Inc.
Funding
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Growing Greener
Phase 2
Wilkinsburg Stormwater Resiliency Project (WSRP) is a two phase holistic stormwater management project to reduce the flow of stormwater and sewage into Nine Mile Run. In this second phase between 2023-24, the project addresses nonpoint source pollution resulting from stormwater runoff by implementing BMPs at 713 South Avenue in Wilkinsburg, PA. Outreach to and education of local residents was key to the project’s success.
Project Goals: Improve the water quality of Nine Mile Run through the reduction of stormwater and sewage entering the stream, remove an estimated 1.7M gallons of stormwater runoff annually, reduce TSS, phosphorus, aluminum, iron, and nitrogen entering Nine Mile Run via the combined sewer system.
Project Results: This phase included installing 4 BMP’s at 713 South Ave. The stormwater management capability of the WSRP sites is currently being monitored for performance which will be publicly available on our GSI Monitoring Dashboard.
Project Costs: $ 390,000 Growing Greener Plus Watershed Restoration and Protection Grant, matched with $ 58,500 from UpstreamPgh.
Lessons Learned: Throughout the planning and construction phase we learned that constant communication with municipal leadership was critical to ensure that the project met the needs of the landowner. We also learned that close and constant construction management was crucial in ensuring the project proceeded on schedule. We also learned through the process that one of the existing storm inlets was connected to a sanitary sewer and contributing to sanitary sewer overflows (SSO). Removing the old inlet and replacing it with a rain garden connected to the storm sewer will help to reduce SSO’s into Nine Mile Run.
Awards: 2023 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, 2023 ASCE Pittsburgh Sustainability Project of the Year
South Ave. Phase 2
Partners
The Borough of Wilkinsburg (Landowner)
Sci-Tek Consultants Inc. (Engineering & Design)
Cronin Enterprises LLC (Contractor)
Duquesne Light Company
Awards
2023 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence
2023 ASCE Pittsburgh Sustainability Project of the Year
