What is the GROW Program?
The GROW program is an essential part of ALCOSAN’s plan to create cleaner waterways. In 2016, ALCOSAN created the Green Revitalization of Our Waterways (GROW) program. It was designed as a system-wide effort to reduce excess water from entering an already overloaded sewer collection system.
GROW is a multi-million-dollar grant program that provides funding for source reduction projects in our partner communities and authorities. Under the program, any municipality or municipal sewer authority within the ALCOSAN service area is eligible to submit a source control project for grant funding consideration.
Benefits
- Addresses the community’s concerns about including green infrastructure.
- Creates collaboration between ALCOSAN and our partner municipalities.
- Reduces excess rainwater from entering the sewer system and contributing to overflows.
- Protects and conserves our area’s natural resources.
Eligible Project Types
- Removing streams from the sewer system (direct stream inflow removal).
- Managing storm runoff by installing nature-based solutions that absorb and filter rainwater (green stormwater infrastructure).
- Providing maintenance on cracked or broken pipes to reduce water from seeping in and entering the system (infiltration/inflow reduction).
- Dividing a combined sewer system by adding another pipe that only carries wastewater and the original pipe will only carry rainwater (sewer separation).
- Performing maintenance on related infrastructure to ensure it is working at the highest capacity (system optimization).
Since 2016, nearly 85% of ALCOSAN’s customer municipalities have participated in the GROW program. GROW has provided $63 million in grant funding towards approximately 160 projects that will reduce sewer overflow by an estimated 216 million gallons per year.
When and How to Apply
Any municipality or municipal sewer authority within the ALCOSAN service area is eligible for GROW grants. New grant cycles typically begin in the fall season. ALCOSAN will schedule information meetings before each cycle to assist municipalities with the application process. Application documents are available via the municipal portal.
Have questions regarding the GROW program at ALCOSAN?
GROW Grant Recipients and Projects
2023 GROW Program Grant Offers - Cycle 8
| Municipal Partner | Project Description | GROW Grant Received |
|---|---|---|
Dormont Borough | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) – Dormont S-15 Phase II COA Lining Project. Sanitary sewer lining of 4,125 feet in southern half of Borough. | $63,600 |
Girty’s Run Joint Sewer Authority | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) - Greenhill Area Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation. Sanitary sewer lining of 8,100 feet in Shaler Township. | $337,600 |
| Mt. Lebanon | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) - Cochran Rd/Larchmont Rd: Sewershed C4800-MB-L-03 Sewer Rehab. Sanitary sewer lining of 6,255 feet near Cochran Road and Larchmont Road. | $159,300 |
| Mt. Lebanon | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) – Little Saw Mill Run – Sewershed MH1800-MB-L-05 Sewer Rehab. Sanitary sewer lining of 8,900 feet near Beverly Road. | $272,500 |
| McCandless TSA | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) - Fox Ridge Plan. Sanitary sewer lining of 25,079 feet in the Fox Ridge Plan area of Lowries Run. | $356,800 |
| North Braddock | Sewer Separation (SS) – O'Connell Boulevard Storm Sewer Separation Project. New separate stormwater system to remove stormwater and surface water runoff from the combined sewer system near New Dookers Hollow Bridge. | $638,757.15 |
| Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) - 2023 Small Diameter Sewer Rehabilitation. Sanitary sewer lining of 30,000 feet in the Carrick neighborhood. | $804,300 |
| Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority | Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) – Bus Rapid Transit (M-05 Sewershed). Installation of GSI features along 5th Avenue and Forbes Avenue between Stevenson Street and Gist Street within the M-05 Sewershed. The project includes bioswales, tree trenches, and storage trenches as part of the Downtown-Uptown-Oakland East Bus Rapid Transit transportation project. | $214,300 |
| Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority | Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) – Bus Rapid Transit (M-19 Sewershed). Installation of GSI features along 5th Avenue and Forbes Avenue between Gist Street and the Birmingham Bridge within the M-19 Sewershed. The project includes bioswales, tree trenches, and storage trenches as part of the Downtown-Uptown-Oakland East Bus Rapid Transit transportation project. | $133,900 |
| Ross Township | Sanitary sewer lining (I/I) - York Drive Infiltration Control Project. Sanitary sewer lining of 1,735 feet near York Drive. | $43,900 |
| Swissvale | Sewer Separation (SS) – M-48 Groundwater and Surface Water Remediation Project. New separate stormwater system to remove stormwater from the combined sewer system south of Les Getz Memorial Park. | $216,716 |
| West Homestead Borough | Sewer Separation (SS) – West 7th Avenue Separation Project. New separate stormwater system to remove stormwater from the combined sewer system along West 7th Avenue. | $271,442.32 |
See previous Grant Awardees and Cycles
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Guidance Documents
ALCOSAN is committed to taking a proactive approach to stormwater management. ALCOSAN and its customer municipalities and authorities have completed significant work throughout the service area to understand the scope and challenges of preventing extraneous source flow from entering the Regional Conveyance System. Building on these efforts, ALCOSAN created guidance documents to support the successful implementation of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). This document is intended to provide guidelines for private and public entities in constructing GSI, from initial planning stages to post-construction maintenance.
Green Stormwater Infrastructure and Source Control Monitoring Guide
This document provides guidance to facilitate successful performance monitoring of source control projects implemented to reduce inflow into the regional collection system within the ALCOSAN service area. It is intended to be used by ALCOSAN, municipalities, and municipal sewer authorities in planning for, developing and implementing monitoring plans for projects funded under ALCOSAN’s Green Revitalization of Our Waterways (GROW) grant program.
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