Water

"Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) contain not only storm water but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris. This is a major water pollution concern for cities with combined sewer systems . . . [which] serve roughly 950 communities with about 40 million people. Most communities with CSOs are located in the Northeast and Great Lakes Regions, particularly in Pennsylvania"

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

The problem has been identified; state and local regulatory agencies have taken action, and politicians have subsequently ignored the issue time and time again.

If the most recent Department of Environmental Protection order is successful, the waters flowing through Frick Park may soon be protected from the raw sewage which leaks and spills from the sewer lines of Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg. If the DEP order is successful, the Army Corp of Engineers will develop a $6 Million Dollar stream ecosystem restoration in the Nine Mile Run Valley, reaching up to Frick Park.

• The Water Wall
  History of regulatory action, minimal enforcement and political inaction regarding the sewage management problems of Nine Mile Run
• CSO: Combined Sewer Outflows
  Combined Sewer Outflows explained.
• Stream Life, Research
  Research occuring in the Nine Mile Run watershed.
• Project Philosophy
  A discourse on the aims of the Nine Mile Run Greenway Project.