Environmental groups want more green infrastructure, but who would pay for it?

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - ALCOSAN, the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, is spending $2 billion of your money over the next decade and a half to clean up our rivers and streams. 

When that money's all spent and the project's completed, the rivers still won't be clean. About 2 billion gallons of sewage-laden wastewater will still be pouring into the waterways every year. 

The news is disappointing. Every time it rains, our antiquated combined storm and sanitary sewer system overflows and millions of gallons of sewage-laden wastewater pour into our rivers and streams, 9 billion gallons of contaminated wastewater every year. And even ALCOSAN's $2 billion plan to clean up the rivers won't capture it all. 

"Even when it is fully implemented, by ALCOSAN's own projections, there will still be 2.7 billion gallons of sewage overflow pouring into the waterways every single year," said Dan Brown with PennEnvironment.

This group of environmentalists is chiding ALCOSAN for taking too long and doing too little. Over the next 14 years, ALCOSAN will continue doubling the size of its treatment plant and then building some 15 miles of underground catchment tunnels to capture most of that wastewater, but not all of it. 

"No amount of sewage in our rivers is acceptable. We need to strive for rivers that are free from all sewage," said Heather Hulton VanTassel with Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

To do that, they're proposing a mass expansion of so-called green infrastructure projects to capture stormwater before it flows into -- and overloads -- the system, like rain gardens or porous sidewalks that trap runoff. Still, in relation to billions of gallons of overflow and in small numbers, they're the proverbial drop in the bucket. 

"In order for green infrastructure to be effective, you need a lot of it," said Brown.

But who would pay for it? These groups are looking to the state's allocation of federal infrastructure funds but may have to get in line behind our decaying bridges, roads and other needs. They note that some municipalities charge business and homeowners so-called stormwater fees but the proposal doesn't sit well with some, like Shaler Township manager Tim Rogers.

"(There's) too much on the backs of residents already and we're hearing it," said Rogers.

To pay for the project as it is, ALCOSAN has been increasing your bill by 7 percent every year and most sewage authorities are tacking on increases of their own. Rogers and others say they're not about to ask for more to fund green infrastructure. 

"Adding another layer of environmental requirements at this time is not reasonable," he said. 

Sheehan: "The ratepayers are already paying for this plan. Now you're asking them to pay for all this green infrastructure." 

Brown: "Well, either we deal with the problem now before it gets worse or we all end up paying for it in the long run anyway."

ALCOSAN says its ratepayers are already stretched. 

"We're having to raise rates every year now to pay for these activities," said Joey Vallarian with ALCOSAN. "What you see behind us, the plant expansion, the tunnel projects, that will be coming up very soon. That's very expensive."

Someday, the rivers may be completely devoid of sewage waste but ALCOSAN says this $2 billion dollar project is just about all ratepayers can afford. Anything outside of that will need to find additional sources of funding.