John Schombert defines the problem of stormwater and wastewater management in southwestern Pennsylvania

Listen to John Schombert's entire presentation and questions from the audience

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John Schombert from 3 Rivers Wet Weather opened the conference by defining the geographic, economic, and political problems of wet weather issues in the southwestern Pennsylvania region and the Ohio River Basin. He gave an overview of the Consent Orders enforced by DEP and the Allegheny County Department of Health, and then cited two examples of regional collaboration in a manhole mapping project and a flow monitoring plan, showing that the notion of 'adapting governance' has succeeded in the past. Finally, Schombert closed by predicting the economic impact on the region and the burden placed on future generations if wet weather problems are not addressed regionally, and he suggested sustainable solutions to the problem that would require efforts in adaptive governance.

Other resources:

Read information on the Clean Water Act on the EPA's website

Visit the ALCOSAN website and read about the Consent Orders

Check out PA's Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual

Learn about "green roofs" and their impact on wet weather issues

Read an article about Pittsburgh being voted the "Most Livable City"

Time: 59 min 34 sec