Attend Upcoming Stormwater Workshop for Water and Money Saving Tips

Provides PWSA customers with useful, hands-on information to manage stormwater and chance to win a free rain barrel!
rain barrel with flowers Attend this upcoming workshop on May 15th for useful tips to manage stormwater at home. Attendees will have a chance to win a free rain barrel.

Pittsburgh, PA – If you’ve ever wondered how rain gardens, rain barrels, gardening choices and other natural solutions can reduce stormwater runoff on your property, then this workshop is for you. Join the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), the Penn State Master Watershed Stewards and Penn State Master Gardeners on Wednesday, May 15th for a community workshop focusing on stormwater management at home.

The workshop begins at 5:00 PM and is open to PWSA customers interested in at-home stormwater management techniques for reducing stormwater runoff on their property and lowering their monthly stormwater fee. Attendees can join in person at the Penn State Extension at the Franco Harris Center located at 1435 Bedford Avenue or virtually.

“We all can play a role managing stormwater. We’re excited to co-host this event to educate and empower our customers with information that can reduce runoff from their property and their PWSA bill,” said PWSA CEO Will Pickering. 

At the Workshop: What to Expect

During the workshop, volunteers from Penn State’s Master Gardeners and Watershed Steward programs will discuss the stormwater interventions you can install at home. Solutions like rain barrels, rain gardens and use of native plants are effective ways to protect your property and neighborhood from rain and flooding. Their presentation will include education about our local watershed, mindful gardening techniques, infiltration, and runoff.

Additionally, representatives from PWSA’s stormwater team will discuss the stormwater credit program and solutions that can help to lower your stormwater fee. You’ll also learn more about the new, one-time rain barrel credit available to residential customers. Our presentation will also describe how our stormwater program, and the stormwater fee, are essential for protecting the environment and quality of life in Pittsburgh. Additionally, attendees can discuss stormwater issues one-on-one with our team.  

Attending this workshop is a great investment in time! You’ll leave with an understanding of simple stormwater techniques to use at home and first-hand information from PWSA to reduce your stormwater fee. While this presentation is very much focused on at-home solutions, you’ll also begin to connect with the benefits that improved stormwater management will provide our neighborhoods, waterways, and the environment. 

“The things that each of us do at home to manage stormwater really add up,” said Tony Igwe, PWSA’s Senior Group Manager, Stormwater. “Not only do we save money by reducing runoff, we also benefit our neighbors when we are good stormwater stewards,” he stated. “When we work together, we’re better protected from the impacts of stormwater and over time, will reduce neighborhood flooding and improve the quality of water in our rivers and streams.”

Registration Details

Please join us on May 15th for this informative workshop. It includes a light meal and tour of Penn State’s green roof at the Franco Harris Center after the workshop. An optional donation of $10 benefits the Penn State Master Watershed Stewards and Master Gardeners and enables these programs to continue to bring high quality educational programming to Allegheny County residents. If you prefer to attend without making a donation, please use coupon code: STORMWATER100 on the registration form to attend the workshop for free.

To learn more and register, please visit: Penn State Extension or PWSA’s Events page.

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