LGA asked Janie French, Watershed Programs Manager at 3 Rivers Wet Weather, to explain one of their Low-Impact Development, Stormwater Best Management Practices projects, the Green Roof Demonstration Project.

Three Rivers Wet Weather is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that is committed to improving the water quality in the region. One of the organization’s goals is funding Stormwater Best Management Practice demonstration projects, where they focus on lot-level or Low-Impact Development projects. Low-Impact Development projects control stormwater at the source and attempt to find uses for it instead of letting it enter and overflow the sewer systems. Two 3RWW demonstration projects that have been completed are the rain barrel project with the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association in 2004, and the LID green roof demonstration project on the Shadyside Giant Eagle, Hammerschlag Hall on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus, and the retrofitting of an existing commercial /residential building on the main street of Homestead with a green roof.

Read about 3RWW Green Roof Demonstration Project here.

In addition to funding the construction of these green roofs, 3RWW is funding the development of monitoring projects by the engineering departments at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The roofs at the Giant Eagle and Hammerschlag Hall are being monitored, but monitoring on the building at 213-215 East Eighth Avenue in Homestead has not been started. The hope is that these monitoring processes will aid in offering standards to evaluate the performance of green roofs in stormwater management, energy efficiency, and temperature reduction caused by the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon where urban built environments and suburbs can be several degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas.

Click on the podcast to hear Janie talk about the green roof demonstration projects and their successes.

Read an article about CMU’s roof.

Click on the link at the bottom of the page to read a report on CMU’s roof, see a picture, and to see a live web cam view of the roof.

See results from Pitt’s monitoring of the Shadyside Giant Eagle roof.

Pittsburgh experiences frequent “wet weather” such as rain, thunderstorms, and snow that affects its aging infrastructure due to the overwhelming amount of runoff that enters the combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Although Pittsburgh has taken steps to address the issue, a heavy focus on end-of-pipe solutions for stormwater management still results in an excess of runoff entering the sewer systems. An increased focus on source controls for stormwater management, such as green roofs, can help.

Janie referred us to a report by Mike Plumb, legal intern for the Columbia Environmental Law Clinic working for Riverkeeper, for more information on how source controls can manage stormwater more efficiently and effectively. Plumb looks at how New York’s DEP was investing in what he calls “obsolete infrastructure” in the forms of end-of-pipe tanks and in-line storage for CSO overflows. Plumb’s research found that for every $1,000 invested in these projects, New York could decrease CSO overflow by 2,400 gallons per year, whereas the same investment in source controls would decrease this overflow much more significantly. Street trees would decrease overflows by 13,170 gallons per year, green streets by 14,800 gallons, rain barrels by 9,000 gallons, new green roofs by 810 gallons, retrofitted green roofs by 865 gallons, and incentivized green roofs by 12,000 gallons per year (Plumb, 2008).

Read more about other forms of green infrastructure source controls in Plumb’s report, “Sustainable Raindrops.”

Most green roofs require an insulation layer, a waterproof membrane, a root barrier to prevent the roots of plants from penetrating the waterproof layer, a drainage layer, a filter mat, soil and, of course, vegetation. The type of vegetation planted on green roofs depends on the climate in the area and the effects of the different types of vegetation on water retention and heat absorption. Green roofs can be either intensive or extensive, where intensive green roofs usually require a deeper soil layer because they are typically planted with larger plants with roots that run deeper. Intensive green roofs are often accessible to the public, acting as a “roof-top garden.” Extensive roofs are usually not accessible for people to walk onto and enjoy, but are less expensive to install.

The benefits of green roofs can be realized at the private or building-level, and the public, or city-level. At the private level, green roofs require a larger initial investment, but they are estimated to extend the life of the roof twice as long, and they contribute to savings on energy costs, heating and cooling costs, and stormwater costs. Additionally, they provide sound insulation and aesthetic value, and intensive green roofs and rain gardens can be used for food production and can create a place for “community involvement” among employees of the building, boosting employee morale.

At the public level, green roofs can significantly reduce stormwater runoff and the impact on sewer infrastructure from too much water in the system, and they can reduce the urban heat island effect, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve air quality by replacing traditional, heat-absorbing roof surfaces with vegetation that cool the air through evapotranspiration (or evaporation of water from leaves). Greening the urban environment also improves the aesthetic quality of the city. The costs of green roofs at the private level would be the higher initial cost of the green roof and maintenance, and the costs to the public sector are those relating to program administration and start-up. However in both instances, the argument is often made that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Read more about how green roofs are built and the benefits they offer by visiting the “Green Roofs for Healthy Cities” website.

During our interview with Janie, she noted that the major barrier for green roof implementation in the southwestern Pennsylvania region is funding. We discussed the Green Roof Grant Program in Chicago as an example of a way to use incentives to fund green roof projects.

Read about the Chicago Green Roof Grant Program.

We have identified some available funding sources through the Pennsylvania state and federal governments:

In Allegheny County, Conservation Consultants Inc. received $54,128 through an Energy Harvest Grant for a 1,700-square-foot green roof, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens received $250,000 for an integrated water management system. This system is used for geothermal heating and cooling, but also treats and reuses wastewater. Growing Greener II Grants, which give “$625 million to clean up rivers and streams; protect natural areas, open spaces and working farms” can be used for green roof demonstration projects and green infrastructure conservation projects. Pennsylvania also has grants and reimbursements awarded through the Stormwater Management Act 167 where local governments can be reimbursed for 75% of the money they put into a watershed protection program.

The EPA also awards grants for green roof demonstration projects and other green infrastructure projects under its Nonpoint Source Management Program. “Under section 319, State, Territories, and Indian Tribes receive grant money which support a wide variety of activities including technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, technology transfer, demonstration projects, and monitoring to assess the success of specific nonpoint source implementation projects.”  Funding from the EPA can also be obtained through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund; Source Reduction Assistance Grants; Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Special Purpose Grants ; and Air Quality Grants. This grant money can be received through PA’s Department of Environmental Protection.

According to Katrin Scholz-Barth, expert and consultant for green roof installation, extensive green roofs are, “the single most effective solution to stormwater management,” because they do not take up additional land, are easily adaptable and are economically efficient, they are not difficult to add to architectural designs, and they are easily retrofitted to existing structures. For a developed city with a lot of existing buildings in need of renovations, Pittsburgh is a good candidate for green roofs.

Click on the podcast to hear Janie talk about retrofitting green roofs to existing structures and efforts to green the urban landscape.

Read more about green infrastructure in this report from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Finally, Janie informed LGA how individual homeowners can become involved in managing stormwater. In addition to rain barrels, we discussed rain gardens and water conservation and water quality protection behaviors that any homeowner can engage in.

Click on the podcast to hear Janie talk about what homeowners can do to get involved in stormwater management.

View 3RWW’s education and outreach materials, including their “Role of the Homeowner” guide.

Read an article on planting rain gardens and Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance.

* The construction of the rain garden at Phipps has been delayed *

Read an article about a new rain garden on Mount Washington.

The Pittsburgh region can focus on greening the urban landscape with various forms of green infrastructure, such as trees, vegetation, wetlands, and open space that can be preserved or created in built environments, because not only does green infrastructure contribute to stormwater management, it also aids in energy efficiency, causes a reduction in the urban heat island effect, and holds a greater aesthetic value than vast landscapes of concrete.

To read more on stormwater management in the southwest Pennsylvania region, read the LGA Lyceum piece “This needs to sink in” by Stan Kabala, Center for Environmental Research and Education, Duquesne University.

To learn about the use of adaptive governance for stormwater management, please visit the LGA Adaptive Governance wiki.

Jerry Andree, Township Manager of Cranberry Township, possesses a blend of innovative and traditional beliefs, particularly in the areas of neighborhood and community development. We spoke with Jerry about the Pennsylvania House Bill 1280, which would amend the Municipalities Planning Code to expand the power of municipalities to incorporate 'traditional neighborhood development' in their planning. The bill would give local governments the power to include 'standards and conditions for traditional neighborhood development designations…and providing for subdivision and land development ordinance provisions applicable to traditional neighborhood development.'

Jerry explained that traditional neighborhood development, or TND as it is commonly referred to, is 'an attempt to recreate a sense of place that people are looking for now where they live.' When looking back at development in previous generations, people valued the proximity to each other and connectivity. Pennsylvania’s zoning became segregated, splitting land for residential use, commercial use, etc., resulting in sprawl. Jerry explains TND as a design model rooted in tradition, although the incorporation of it in development today seems innovative compared to the sprawl that has been prevalent for years.

TND desegregates zoning to allow for mixed-use development, such as buildings with retail spaces on the first floor and residential spaces above. It also uses different design elements, such as streetlamps, benches, and traditional storefronts right on the sidewalks, offering more of a quaint, town-like atmosphere. TND uses wider sidewalks to encourage walking and biking, and on-street parking is encouraged for direct access to all available amenities. The proximity of different types of development and the services they have to offer encourage people to be friendly with each other. TND encourages people to get back to an integrated way of living, which is more sustainable than continuing sprawl.

Currently, TND can only be done as an overlay, and it is still a planning option for municipalities. Jerry described an overlay district as placing inducements over a single purpose zone, such as a retail zone, to incorporate mixed-use development, such as buildings that can serve both residential and commercial purposes. House Bill 1280 would give a community the power to make TND the primary type of land-use that they would allow, although it may be contested because of the costs associated with TND, which are higher than other forms of development. Jerry suggested that including incentives for TND and other measures for sustainable development would help cover some of the costs. House Bill 1280 is in the third consideration and final passage phase, meaning that it has a strong possibility of passing the Senate and becoming law.

Jerry acknowledged that Pennsylvania is not known for having the most innovative planning, and he cited fragmentation as a main reason for this. He said that local governments need to put resources into planning for tomorrow as well as today, and that those communities that are really preparing for future generations set goals for sustainability in development. Jerry mentioned that working together with neighbors was a good solution for cutting costs in service delivery and planning, such as efforts for TND. 'I would always advocate an intergovernmental approach in everything we do.'

When considering TND in a particular area, it is important to have planners, engineers, and the community working together for a holistic view of the effects it might have on the daily workings of the neighborhoods involved and the lives of the people residing there. Jerry explained the importance of a collaborative vision in planning. 'I am a big believer in visioning. Every community needs to know what they want to be when they grow up!' Cranberry just passed Ordinance 2007-377, creating a new planning advisory commission that will be dedicated to involving the citizens in their community in the planning process. Jerry expressed confidence in the 'community ambassadors', which are volunteers from Cranberry Township that will take a grassroots approach in finding out what is important to those who live in Cranberry. They have nearly 90 people who have signed up to become ambassadors.

The 'Cranberry Plan' is an update to the current comprehensive plan that includes a new phase of TND planning, using a bottom-up approach with the community ambassadors to really represent the wishes of community members. Jerry is proud that Cranberry’s elected officials are very supportive of significant citizen involvement in the plan. 'Anything that is sustainable cannot come from five, or seven, or nine elected officials. It must come from the community.'

The structure and functions of local government were the topics at the Local Government Academy's 2005 Road to Excellence Conference sponsored by Comcast. Dr. H. George Frederickson was the keynote speaker at the Road to Excellence Conference, entitled 'Form Follows Function'. The Road to Excellence Conference is an annual event, exploring issues related to intergovernmental cooperation in southwestern Pennsylvania. The 2005 Conference was a forum on the issue of government structure, a topic that continues to generate interest among elected and appointed officials, the media, and the general public. A valuable discussion was initiated about the functions of local government in an effort to better inform the ongoing political discussion about how local authority should be structured.

Dr. Frederickson is the Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the University of Kansas, one of the top rated public affairs departments in the United States. Dr. Frederickson has taught, been published, and is co-editor of The Future of Local Government Administration, published by the International City Management Association in 2002. Listen as Dr. Frederickson answers the questions: Why is local government structure important? What is the impact of structure in terms of achieving economic, efficient, equitable government and what is its impact on the business climate and the quality of life for the average citizen?

Michael Foreman serves as a Local Government Policy Specialist with the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, Governor’s Center for Local Government Services in the southwest regional office. He provides local government officials with policy guidance and advice, technical and consultive assistance, and training in the following areas: general government management and administration, financial management, revenue and taxation matters, personnel management, labor relations, service delivery systems, intergovernmental cooperation, boundary change, grant writing and administration, and economic and community development. Foreman explained the relationship that exists between the state and local governments in Pennsylvania. He broke down municipalities into First-class Townships, Second-class Townships, Boroughs, Cities, and Home Rule municipalities, and presented their differences relating to structure and powers.

Alan Kugler of PA Futures is a consultant working with municipal governments on how to report the potential benefits of consolidation to present to voters, in addition to providing information for policy decision-making for citizens, public officials, and civic and business leaders. Kugler explained the political, legal, and social challenges associated with intergovernmental cooperation, municipal consolidations, and boundary change. He discussed the powers that Article IX of the Pennsylvania Constitution gives municipalities through the home rule and intergovernmental cooperation laws. Then, Kugler explained the Municipal Consolidation or Merger Act of 1994 that was amended in 2003 to enable citizens to conduct a referendum to form a joint Government Study Commission to study potential merging of their municipalities. Citizens would decide if consolidation is in the long-term best interests of the municipalities involved.

Read Alan Kugler's Handout on Intergovernmental Cooperation, Municipal Consolidation, and Boundary Change