The rebirth of Pittsburgh's Nine Mile Run Watershed marks the largest urban stream restoration project in the nation. A dedication on September 9 and a community celebration and tour on September 10 will highlight the completion of the first phase of the project through Frick Park.

The 6.5 square mile Nine Mile Run Watershed includes the boroughs of Edgewood, Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, and part of the City of Pittsburgh. It is home to close to 48,000 people as well as 250 plant species, 22 different mammals, and 189 types of birds. Water from the Nine Mile Run Watershed flows into the Monongahela, then the Ohio, then the Mississippi River, and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico.

Nine Mile Run was put in underground pipes, or culverts, starting in the early 20th century. However, because the stream runs through Frick Park, about a third of the stream was left above ground. Today the stream first emerges from its culverts in Frick Park just off Braddock Avenue. It then flows through the park to the Monongahela River. That's a 2.2 mile stretch of open water, a nearly unheard of amount for a city the size of Pittsburgh .

In urban watersheds like Nine Mile Run, much of the land is covered with impermeable surfaces such as blacktop, concrete, roofs, and sidewalks which do not allow water to filter into the soil. Approximately 27% of the Nine Mile Run watershed is covered by impermeable surfaces. Water flows quickly over these impermeable surfaces into storm drains.

During wet weather, Nine Mile Run is quickly overloaded with water, causing stream bank erosion and degrading animal habitat. The water also carries everything it picks up (dirt, litter, road salt, pesticides, oil, etc...) into storm drains and then, ultimately, the stream. This is called non-point source pollution.

The current phase of the restoration involves planting the newly-created wetland with native shrubs and grasses. Planting crews put hundreds of native wetland plants into the ground at the beginning of June.

The restoration effort began in 2001 with a Growing Greener Grant.

Join in the celebration by going to the Nine Mile Run webpage.

9/2/2005