The Project Description:

This Rivers Conservation Grant request is to organize a study of the Nine Mile Run Watershed that will result in a plan for the conservation and restoration of the stream and for the development of a park in the stream valley. this watershed covers an area of approximately 5 square miles, encompassing the southeastern end of the City of Pittsburgh, including Frick Park and the Nine Mile Run Development site, as well as portions of the municipalities of Wilkinsburg, Edgewood and Swissvale. 

The Nine Mile Run stream is a natural drainage basin into the Monongahela River and is the last "visible" stream of the original Pittsburgh watershed. Although this stream valley was identified in 1910 for its beauty and potential as a public park, the site was used only a few years later as an industrial dump, completely altering the character of the landscape. The valley today is dominated by the slag left by the steel industry and the quality of the stream itself has been degraded by a variety of urban pollutants. This study will: 

• explore how urban watershed problems can be addressed to improve Nine Mile Run stream quality.
• develop a plan for the restoration of a brownfield site to its former state as a riparian corridor.
• develop a plan to create an open space link in an urban stream corridor by creating a new city park connecting Frick Park and the Monongahela River.
• serve as a catalyst for reconnecting the watershed communities to their native landscape and waters.
• produce a River Conservation Plan for the Nine Mile Run Watershed that will recommend a course of action for the restoration and enhancement of this watershed.