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HOW THE PROGRAM OPERATES
Public Outreach
In 2001, 3 Rivers Wet Weather launched a public outreach
program and organized about 200 municipal officials from the 83
ALCOSAN communities into three basin groups—the Eastern,
Northern and Southern Communities Basin Groups. As members, the officials
have learned about new regulations, shared resources and begun developing
strategies for cost-effective basin-wide solutions to sewer system
rehabilitation. The Basin Groups also are charged with exploring
regionalization options for managing and operating the municipal
collection system in the future. (3 Rivers developed a Regionalization
Report for the Basin Groups to use as a discussion tool on this
complex issue.)
Through consistent and thorough communication with the regulatory
agencies—Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD)—the
Basin Groups demonstrated their commitment to correcting the sewage
overflow problem in the region. Thus, in October 2001, the EPA chose
to address these groups of educated officials as a more efficient
and effective method of communication than approaching each individual
municipality regarding an Administrative Consent Order (ACO). The
ACOs will move communities toward compliance with the Clean Water
Act by requiring municipalities to complete a series of assessment
and monitoring activities on their sewer systems. As a result of
these activities, communities will collect data throughout the sewage
system that will be used to develop cost-effective, long-term wet
weather plans.
In late February 2002, communities received a draft ACO from the
EPA identifying initial activities for correcting the sewage overflow
problem. Since that time, 3 Rivers Wet Weather has helped to encourage
consensus-building among the municipalities and facilitate the communication
process with regulatory agencies by organizing more than 100 municipal
solicitors and engineers into working groups and scheduling more
than 50 meetings.
Once a final ACO draft is signed by the ALCOSAN communities (expected
to occur in 2003), 3RWW will continue its public outreach effort
by encouraging the communities to approach compliance through inter-municipal
cooperation, and working closely with the municipalities to help
ensure the effort is successful.
As the effort moves forward, 3 Rivers Wet Weather will expand its
public outreach program to include more homeowner communication
and education.
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