Recent Stormwater Projects

The state of Pennsylvania gave our township a special permit for handling rainwater, called an NPDES Permit. Because of this, the township must have a plan to keep pollution and trash out of our local storm drains. The main goal is to make sure the water stays clean, which helps protect our streams and lakes.

All of our streams and lakes are part of a larger area called a watershed. A watershed is an area of land where all the rainwater drains into the same place. Scott Township is in the Ohio River Watershed, which includes smaller local areas like Chartiers Creek, Scrubgrass Run, and Painters Run.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) had noticed that these local waters have a problem with too much loose dirt and mud washing into them. To keep our rainwater permit, the township had to create a plan to lower pollution and make our streams cleaner. Right now, the township is putting this plan into action by fixing old storm drains, building special areas to hold extra rainwater, and repairing damaged streams.

Over the past year, the township finished several projects to better manage rainwater. These projects help the town follow its permit rules and stop problems caused by heavy rain. Most of the work involved fixing or replacing old pipes and drains or putting in brand-new ones.

Some of the projects over the past year included improvements in the following areas: Spinner Field, Green Commons Drive, Hope Street, and Main Street. The purpose of these improvements was to build special ponds called stormwater detention facilities at these locations to catch rainwater. This was to provide sufficient storage for stormwater runoff as well as control the release rate of the stormwater runoff to the watershed, thus improving downstream hydraulic overload conditions. In other words, these ponds hold the extra water and let it flow out slowly, so the streams downhill don’t flood.

Part of the money for these projects came from an Allegheny County grant. Every year, the Scott Township Public Works team cleans and fixes these water ponds. We plan to do more of these rainwater projects over the next few years. This will help keep our town’s pipes and drains in good shape.

Helpful Websites

Brochures and Educational Materials

Stormwater Ordinance

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