Rosedale Runoff Reduction Project

Sci-Tek was retained by Buchart Horn Inc. to provide pre-construction flow monitoring services for the Rosedale Runoff Reduction Project on behalf of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA).  The Rosedale Runoff Project is in partnership with Nine Mile Run Watershed Association to install large-scale green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) facilities in the Homewood/ East Hills neighborhood of Pittsburgh.  The first GSI installation, at the corner of Batavia and Oakwood Streets, consists of a series of stormwater tree planters with subsurface storage to capture and remove an estimated 415,000 gallons of stormwater runoff during an average year.  The second phase of this project, in front of Crescent Elementary School on Bennett and Tokay Streets, is comprised of a series of rain gardens and an additional stormwater tree planter with the potential to capture and remove 690,000 gallons of stormwater runoff during an average year.

The purpose of the pre-condition continuous monitoring is to characterize the catchment prior to the installation of the proposed GSI. This information provided PWSA with an understanding of the effectiveness of GSI for reducing stormwater runoff for a variety of GSI technologies.  Sci-Tek provided assistance with monitoring and characterizing the condition and stormwater flow within 8 catch basins, as well as the associated manholes and connecting sewers, including:

• Obtained and reviewed available sewer system drawings and details from PWSA.
• Opened, inspected, measured, and documented dimensions and conditions of the catch basins and services pipes; connection configuration of the lateral pipe to the main conveyance sewer; and evidence of surcharging within main sewer manholes in the GSIA drainage area.
• Obtained and reviewed available closed circuit television (CCTV) records to identify the condition of the lateral line and the connection configuration to the main sewers.
• Prepared a drawing that identified how the catch basins to be monitored connected to the existing sewer conveyance network.
• Prepared a written document that described the service connections from the catch basins to be monitored.
• Developed a monitoring plan that included recommendations for the necessary monitoring equipment and steps necessary to collect both precipitation data measurements and flow data generated from each monitored catch basin.
• Installed selected precipitation monitoring equipment and selected flow measurement devices in the eight catch basins.
• Configured data loggers and maintained and re-calibrated the monitoring equipment.
• Collected data during the study period and downloaded data approximately every two weeks, or following major storm events to monitor if the equipment was functioning properly.
• Provided recommendations on pre-construction protocols.