The Nine Mile RunRiver Conservation Project

• City of Pittsburgh

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Carnegie Museum of Natural History

• Pennsylvania State University

• The Individuals and Communities of the Watershed.

The Steering Committee• Barbara Balbot

• Dianne Barnett

• Elizabeth Barrow

• Eileen Bell

• A.B. Carl

• Senator Jay Costa

• Rep. William Coyne

• Sarah Dixon

• Rep. Mike Doyle

• Jack Fisher

• Mark Knezevich

• Faith Gallo

• Don Gibbon

•Jane Harrison

•Jonathon Hill

•Rep. Ivan Itkin

•Andrew McElwaine

•Paul Peffer

•Bob Hurley

•Maggie Schmidt

•John Schombert

•John Sheilds

•Jack Solomon

•Kenny Steinberg

•Jeff Wagner

Tonight's Presentation• I -Project Area• II -Issues• III -Land Resources• IV - Water Resources• V - Biological Resources• VI - Recreation and Use• VII - Management and Stewardship

• Recommendations and Projects 45 min.

• Community Comments and transcription 45 min.

The Watershed

Major Tributaries Map

Population Centers

II. Issues

• Watershed Management and Ecosystems

• Water Quality

• Slag and Toxicity

• Public Access and Use

• Development

II. Issues: Watershed Management

Infrastructure: Sanitary Sewers Storm Sewers

Ecosystems: Urban Streams as the “Receiving Waters”

II. Issues: Water Quality

Water Quality in Relationship to Human Use

Water Quality in Relationship to Ecosystem Function

II. ISSUES:

• Slag and Toxicity

ongoing studies and involvement

• Public Access and Use

connections and conflicts

• Development

grading and the valley

III. Land Resources:

Critical Land Areas

• Land with Habitat Value

• Land with Infiltration, Detention and Retention Potential

• Land for Playing Fields

• Slag Soils and Revegetation

IV. Water Resources

Point Sources

• Water Quality and Flow in NMR

• Sewage Discharge Problems

IV. Water Resources: Non-Point Sources

• Runoff and Water Quality

• Sewage Infrastructure

IV. Water Resources: Stream Restoration Recommendations

• Upstream Testing

• Sewage Infrastructure Mapping, Assessment and Maintenance Planning.

• Pittsburgh NPDES Permit

IV. Water Resources: Further Stream Restoration

Recommendations

• Modifications to CSO Discharges

• Stream Odor Survey

• Stream Erosion Survey

.....Sue

V. Biological Resources

BIODIVERSITY and Parks:

1. Biodiversity translates into city parks that are rich in natural experiences.

2. Biodiversity and ecosystem functions contribute to improved water quality, land and soil regeneration, and pest control.

3. Plant communities with a diversity of species require less maintenance and teach us to work with nature and to recognize natural cycles and systems.

4. Understanding biodiversity and its effects can help us understand ecosystems value and management in urban settings. This can transfer to increase awareness and respect of wilderness systems.

V. Biological Resources• other organisms• plants and fungi• mammals• invertebrates• fish• birds• amphibians and reptiles

Bioblitz 98

Bioblitz 97

Biodiversity Pa

V. Biological Resources

• Terrestrial Urban Wildlife vertebrates and invertebrates

V. Biological Resources

•Aquatic Urban Wildlife vertebrates and invertebrates

V. Biological Resources

Vegetation

• Severely Degraded System

• Not Likely to be Restored to Original Condition

• Rehabilitate and Remediate for Aesthetics and Functional Diversity

V. Biological Resources

• The hop-tree

• The fringe-tree

Historical Records on: passion-flower American-gromwell blue false-indigowhite trout-lily

PNDI Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory

V. Biological Resources

Important Habitats

• Interior Habitat

• Riparian Forests

• Rock Outcroppings

. . . ..ken

VI. Cultural Resources

• Frick Park: major cultural and recreational resource (one of four regional parks)

• two primary types: – organized sports, particularly soccer

(410,000/year ‘97)

– nature programming and individual activities: environmental education (15,000/year ‘97), nature reserve walkers (12,000/year ‘97) plus many others

• also many peripheral facilities close to NMR (local parks, playgrounds, ball courts, etc.)

VII. Management Options• Mission: to educate and inspire; to reveal the

opportunity that exists in degraded urban landscapes.

• Goals: Overall -- to protect, restore, and enhance the biotic, abiotic, cultural and scenic values of a post-industrial watershed, and to promote public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of this heritage within a sustainable greenway program

• Also: Goals for natural history, cultural heritage, education & interpretation and recreation.

VII. Management Options

• Restoration, Healing and Ecosystem Regeneration• Sustainability• General Revegetation Principles• Management Issues:

– Rare & Endangered Species

– Wildlife and Feral Pets

– Invasive Plants

• Recovery of Riparian Plant Communities• Regeneration of Slag Slopes . ....Tim

VII. Management OptionsSite Based Infiltration

Balancing the Flow Dynamics in an Urban Watershed

• roof leader disconnects • cisterns

• surface infiltration basins • parking lot redesign

• subsurface detention/infiltration

VII. Management OptionsWatershed Management......WHY

1. Multi-municipal authorities enable a geographical (watershed approach) insuring that problems are integrated in definition as well as solution.

2. Economies of scale become evident

3. Personnel costs can be leveraged with collective crews and mitigated overlap and consistent integrated solutions resulting in employee pride and satisfaction.

4. Many grants and low interest loan programs not give priority to watershed authorities and multi-municipality projects.

VII. Management Options

If the goal of infrastructure design and maintenance is minimal impact on the receiving waters, then the management of the infrastructure must be integrated with the monitoring of those waters.

• manage the watershed to its best possible effect rather than the lowest possible regulatory mandate.

• short term change in water quality may track the regulatory mandate

• long term benefits of this approach would be found in a watershed mgt. team that has the tools to understand the systemic fluctuations.

Integrated Ecosystems and Infrastructure Mgt. as a Goal

VII. Management Options Enhancement Methodology:

1) Familiarity

site access education maps

2) Creativity

interpreting nature/culture public art

3) Stewardship

Keepers Cottage/Ecosystem Monitoring

Interspecies Nodes and Systems of Reintroduction.....JOAN

RecommendationsGeneral Objectives:

The mission of the Nine Mile Run Greenway is to educate and inspire

• to reveal the opportunity that exists in degraded urban landscapes.

• We must learn to see (and teach) the value of ecosystem function in our neighborhood parks, backyards, vacant lots and daily lives.

• From the daily practice of attention and care comes the values that will protect and enable a sustainable balance between the built and natural environments.

RecommendationsStewardship

• Annual Event Modeled on CMNH's Bio-Blitz:

• A "job corps" style program .

• National conference

• Local education initiative

Recommendations

Regeneration of vegetation

• A Greenhouse program

• Specific demonstration projects for revegetation of

slag

• Regeneration of prairie grasslands.

• Riparian corridor regeneration and bank stabilization.

Recommendations

Addressing water problems

• Upstream testing

• Sewage infrastructure mapping and assessment

• A Watershed Storm Water management program

• A long term plan to upgrade the sewer system

• Modifications of the existing CSO discharges

Recommendations

Addressing water problems

* Stream odor survey should be undertaken.

* Streambed/bank Erosion Survey.

* The restoration of floodplain

* Creating a watershed stakeholder committee

* Engineering feasibility studies on alkaline leachate.

* Investigate development stormwater issues

* Pilot infiltration projects for upstream communities.

Recommendations

Access and interface.

* Engineering feasibility studies on:

the Forward Ave. greenway crossing

trail heads access / parking points:

removal of paved creek bottoms

* Repair of the existing pedestrian bridge.

* Greenway access to Glen Hazel and Rankin

Recommendations

Development

• Discussion groups for politicians to pursue alternatives

• Elected official involvement

• Equity in trade/sports fields

• Monitor development as an ongoing process

Current Status of Current andPlanned Projects

• DCNR Rivers Conservation Plan

• The Heinz Funded Program in the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry

• The Army Corp of Engineers, Ecosystem Restoration

• The Rocky Mountain Institutes, Infiltration and Retention Charrette

• Upper Watershed Sewer Inspection and Maintenance

• EPA Sustainable Development Challenge Grant

• The Three Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Project