On a sunny Saturday morning on the banks of the Ohio River at the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority’s open house, the wind picks up a distinctive scent. The sugary vanilla of cotton candy mixed with a buttery breeze of popcorn floats through a crowd of Pittsburghers.
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Nearly 1700 people showed up to the free annual event on Sept. 13 for an inside look into the wastewater treatment plant, a glimpse of their $2 billion project to prevent sewage from flowing into our region’s rivers. Kids can win prizes while playing carnival games with a science of sewage lesson, and pose for a picture with Frankie the Fish — the authority’s piscatorial mascot. And there’s free lunch.
Wastewater from 83 municipalities flows from a flush to ALCOSAN for treatment. But as little as one-tenth of an inch of rain can overload the system, sending about 7 billion gallons of sewage into Pittsburgh’s rivers each year.
ALCOSAN has been under a federal consent decree since 2008 to fix their combined sewer overflow problem. Their $2 billion solution includes expanding their treatment plant and building large underground storage tunnels under the three rivers. The project is still in its early stages, with a deadline to finish by 2036.
The last stop on the plant tour landed on the plant’s new outfall, which went into operation last January. There, gallons of wastewater cleaned up at their new disinfection tank plunged into the river like a gushing waterfall. Kids stuck their heads through the rails to hear the roar before heading back to the main entrance in time for hot dogs.
