Two grants totaling $575,450 from the state Department of Environmental Protection will be used for stormwater improvements in Wilkinsburg and more equitable stormwater management in Pittsburgh.
The funding awarded to Upstream Pittsburgh under DEP’s Growing Greener Plus program includes $390,000 for the second phase of the Wilkinsburg Stormwater Resiliency Project and another $185,450 to fund the Nine Mile Run Environmental Justice Watershed Plan.
“Runoff from municipal parking lots in Wilkinsburg’s business district have created stormwater management issues, including a high volume of water loading the storm sewer system and sometimes flooding area streets,” Salisbury said. “Upstream Pittsburgh has been working with Sci-Tek Consultants on plans to address the problem by removing impermeable pavement and retrofitting the lots with engineered soil, new trees, and native plants. These dollars will allow them to work with the borough to complete those plans.
“Beyond Wilkinsburg, we need to do better to ensure that communities across our region have the infrastructure they need to adequately manage stormwater, and the additional funding will help us work toward that goal.”