Developing PWSA’s Strategic Plan for Stormwater

The Water Center at Penn and Penn Praxis are coleading the development of a comprehensive stormwater master plan for Pittsburgh. This plan will ultimately provide a global model using the P4 Framework of People, Planet, Place, and Performance to provide an innovative, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable blueprint to address one of our region’s most challenging problems.

For too long, aging infrastructure and the impacts of climate change have created challenges for stormwater management. The increasingly frequent and intense rain causes the combined sewer system to overflow into rivers and streams, flood streets, and cause property damage and health concerns when basements back up with raw sewage. 

By creating a new comprehensive stormwater management strategy that meets the current circumstances and needs of Pittsburgh, the Water Center/ PennPraxis team works collaboratively with PWSA, the City of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh residents to improve water quality, alleviate flooding, reduce basement backups, create jobs, and beautify neighborhoods for safer and more resilient communities.  

The creation of the stormwater master plan brings together past planning efforts and builds on the triple bottom line benefits established in the 2016 Citywide Green First Plan. Looking closely at the environmental, community, and economic benefits through the lens of the P4 Framework provides a holistic plan that considers how improved stormwater management can shape the economic and community development of Pittsburgh leading to greater inclusion and improved equity throughout the city.  

Additionally, the master plan will provide guidance for the short and long term, by identifying priorities and milestones to implement within the next five years including a proposed stormwater fee, pending consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other regulatory mandates. It will also include a long-term outlook with milestones for the next 25 years that will help to consider the effects of climate change.  

Funding Partner

Project Partners