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Communites have a role in water runoff
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Regarding the recent article "Alcosan Asked to Adopt 'Green' Plan to Cut Sewage Spills" (Oct. 19):
Alcosan is a catcher's mitt, receiving everything our communities toss down the sewers. For decades we have thrown at them a combination of storm and sewage too fast, too hard and too often for them to catch. So, what is not caught flows past and into the rivers for downstream communities to grapple with.
In this town we read about the public bemoaning Alcosan for their "gray-water" solution to a regional water quality problem, but no mention of accountability from those who send stormwater and sewage to Alcosan.
We who live, work and recreate within the city of Pittsburgh, the surrounding townships and boroughs and the western reaches of Westmoreland County: What can we do within our communities to reduce or eliminate the need for Alcosan to build their "gray-water" solution? After all, their solution is based entirely on the information gathered by and sent from our communities.
Ask your borough manager, your township supervisor, your city mayor, what plan their administration -- your local government -- is developing to reduce or eliminate stormwater and sewage problems before Alcosan has to catch it.
NATHANIEL HAYES
South Side
The writer is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers -- Pittsburgh Section.
First Published November 6, 2012 12:00 am
