Our Newest Campaign

Did you know raw sewage goes into our rivers almost every time it rains in Allegheny County? Disgusting, right? That’s why we’re required to fix the problem.

Clean Water Action has joined forces with a coalition of groups to make sure the plan put in place to correct the issue is also the most beneficial to our region.  We’re fighting for a plan that includes green infrastructure to not only fix the sewage problem, but bring long-term jobs to our region and beautify communities, making them places where people want to live, work and shop. Green infrastructure includes innovative things like roof-top gardens, pavement that allows water to soak into the ground and trees, and rain gardens. All of these methods catch the water where it falls and lessens the chance for floods of sewage from our combined sewage overflows.

Many cities have already started using green infrastructure. Let’s follow their lead!  

Other Clean Rivers Campaign partners are: Action United, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, Pittsburgh UNITED and Sierra Club.

Local Accountability

Improper wastewater disposal

The McKeesport wastewater treatment facility was discharging up to 100,000 gallons per day of Marcellus drilling wastewater into the Monongahela River, which supplies drinking water for nearly a half million people. So, Clean Water Action filed suit against the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport. The facility is incapable of removing hazardous chemicals in Marcellus Shale wastewater and also failed to get permits under the Clean Water Act to discharge the wastewater into the river. We’re seeking an immediate halt to their acceptance of any oil and gas wastewater. If the facility wants to start taking oil and gas wastewater again, they need to apply for a permit to do so from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Fighting back for our communities

We’re holding Southwestern PA legislators accountable for their votes on HB 1950. This legislation was recently signed into law and is a sweetheart deal for the oil and gas industry. It weakens municipal rights to control fracking permits in their communities, implements inadequate environmental provisions and enacts one of the lowest extraction fees in the country. We deserved better from our legislators. Senator Tim Solobay, 1 of only 5 Democratic Senators to vote FOR HB 1950, heard our complaints at a rally outside his office. He was our first target, but he won’t be the last.

Clean Water is working with residents in the Neville Island area to make sure Shenango coke work cleans up their act. This industry was fined $114,000 in August of 2011 for 114 air pollution violations that had occurred since the beginning of the year. Shenango needs to be a good neighbor to all the surrounding communities.

Victory!

The Clean Air Act of 2011 passed! Construction equipment used on publicly-funded development work sites must now produce as little diesel emissions as possible.

University of Pittsburgh’s Medical Center has instituted a clean construction policy for all future development and demolition projects!  Any contractor working with UPMC must now have the best available control technology installed on all of their construction equipment.