The Water Center at Penn recently released its plan for improving water management in the Three Rivers area in Pittsburgh, the first step of a multi-stage project.
The Water Center, a trans-disciplinary research center focused on urban water policy, public health, and infrastructure, was invited to perform an analysis on the Three Rivers Area in late 2018. It was tasked with constructing a long-term plan to improve water management and sustainability in the region, which is found where the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers meet. The center recently completed the first stage of this analysis.
The Water Center published an initial report on Pittsburgh that identified the challenges the area faces, including industrial and agricultural pollutants, crumbling infrastructure, floods, poorly coordinated land use, and sewer overflow. The report is based on interviews with over 50 area organizations, as well as research into the literature of water management.
The Water Center concluded that a “systematic and integrated approach” is needed to resolve the water system challenges. This role could be filled by a centralized regional entity that would coordinate efforts to develop a water management strategy. However, the report concluded that "the region does not appear ready to accommodate the emergence of a new or re-organized regional entity" and that smaller groups should develop short-term solutions without this central oversight.
The Water Center is now moving to the second phase of the project to better manage the Three Rivers region. In this phase, the center hopes to create the "Three Rivers Watershed Action Network," which will link local initiatives to create a joint movement to improve water resource management.
The Water Center also aims to develop a leadership incubator to train regional leaders to make a long-term political impact in the area, create a data collection framework, and offer technical and financial assistance to the areas near the Three Rivers region.
The Pittsburgh Three Rivers project is one of multiple initiatives that the Center is pursuing, along with other projects that work to improve water management in cities like South Bend, Ind. and Toledo, Ohio.
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