Aspinwall eyes improvements to reduce stormwater overflow to section of Alley A

Aspinwall is eyeing improvements to a section of Alley A that are expected to help reduce stormwater overflow.

The cost of the project is $268,660.

Work will target a section of Alley A from Center to Western avenues and is expected to be started in the near future, according to Manager Melissa O’Malley.

The project will include road reconstruction with new interlocking brick, she said. Niando Construction will complete the work.

It’s a green infrastructure project similar to one at the opposite end of Alley A, from Eastern to Brilliant, where resurfacing along with rain gardens have eliminated 150,000 gallons of stormwater a year from draining into the municipal sewer system.

The borough was awarded a $100,000 grant from 3 Rivers Wet Weather, a nonprofit environmental group that supports Allegheny County municipalities in addressing overflow problems.

Tracy Schubert, public outreach manager for 3 Rivers Wet Weather, said the project is a good example of an initiative designed to cut the amount of stormwater flowing into the sewer system.

“This type of project helps to diminish the extraneous water that needs to be conveyed to and treated by ALCOSAN,” Schubert said. “It reduces the potential sewer overflows that can result in basement backups, and it also lessens the pollutants entering the region’s waterways.”

Schubert said it’s important that communities plan for work like this to not only benefit residents but to help collaborate on addressing the issue as a whole throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

Aspinwall will pay for the balance of the Alley A project, O’Malley said, but there is hope that an ALCOSAN GROW grant will be approved and can assist with covering the costs.

In 2017, the similar project at the opposite end of Alley A was completed with a price tag of more than $300,000. Work there included removing asphalt and bricking the entire stretch between Brilliant and Eastern avenues. For that project, two small rain gardens were installed, as well as 3 feet of sub-base under the interlocking pavers to help drain the water runoff.

The borough received $165,000 from ALCOSAN to help pay for the work.