City of Pittsburgh
Department of
City Planning
200 Ross St.,
4th Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Contact:
Joan S. Blaustein
(412) 255-2206
(412) 255-2838 (fax) joan.blaustein@
city.pittsburgh.pa.us

Environmental Results:

10,300 feet of streambank restored.

3.8 acres of wetlands created.

15 acres of upland area reforested.

Major slag pile removed.

Public park created.

Assessment & Planning
City of Pittsburgh,
Department of City Planning

Creative Thinking Provides Solutions
for Revitalizing a Degraded Watershed

The City of Pittsburgh initially declared parts of Nine Mile Run stream "beyond redemption" and suggested filling in the stream valley to create space for new development. Unsatisfied with this solution, research fellows at Carnegie Mellon University's STUDIO for Creative Inquiry approached Pittsburgh's planning department with an alternative strategy for dealing with the polluted stream - restoring Nine Mile Run as public art.

The artists suggested using art as a process - a way to bring members of Nine Mile Run's surrounding communities together for a dialogue about its future. The city bought into the idea and agreed to accept responsibility for Nine Mile Run's scars and begin curing them. Another key alliance with 3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program provided the city with the opportunity to move beyond restoration to an inter-municipal demonstration project for managing sewer overflows.

Pittsburgh began the rehabilitation process by developing a master plan for converting the slag dump site into a housing development and public park. Elements of the watershed restoration component include restoring and expanding aquatic and wetland habitats, reestablishing a native species fishery, stabilizing stream banks to prevent erosion and sedimentation and providing permanent stream access for public recreation. In all, the project will improve 10,300 feet of stream, create 3.8 acres of wetlands and reforest 15 acres of upland area.

The restoration of Nine Mile Run engages the skills of a unique team of developers, architects, ecologists, civic leaders, engineers and public interest groups dedicated to bringing new life to an abused watershed. The team approached the project with the objective of developing a transferable process model for use in reclaiming other urban brownfield sites. Long considered a problem, Nine Mile Run is now emerging as a solution.

"The Nine Mile Run project helped demonstrate to surrounding watershed communities the need to invest in rehabilitating their sewer infrastructure. This $11.3 million investment will give the public improved water quality and recreational benefits. And, the promise of improved stream quality has resulted in substantial investments by private developers."
John W. Schombert
Executive Director 3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program

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