• Advocacy Update ........... page 2

• Spring Events ........... page 3

• Board, Staff and Supporters ........... page 4

• Hellos & Goodbyes ........... page 4

• Charitable Giving & Financial Planning

Update ........... page 5

• Stream Restoration .......... page 6

• StormWorks ........... page 8

• Citizen Tree Project ........ page 9

• A Model Watershed ........ page 10

IN THIS ISSUE

Nine Mile Run News | Spring 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

Nine Mile Run News | Spring 2019

2 Nine Mile Run News | Spring 2019

From the Executive Director

If you’ve lived around here your whole life, or even for a few years, you’ve probably noticed that change happens v-e-e r-r-r-y-yslowly. But if we keep plugging away at it, eventually we can move the powers that be in a smarter, healthier, more equitabledirection. I’m excited to report that some of the changes in water policy that we’ve spent many years advocating for are finally close to being a reality. Very soon, possibly even by the time you read this, our regional sewer authority will have acompleted revised Consent Decree to reduce sewer overflows. Thanks to the efforts of many of you who have worked with theClean Rivers Campaign over the last 7 years, it will include adaptive management language that affords us the opportunity tospend our money in a way that will bring additional benefits to our communities. And ALCOSAN now has a matching grantprogram to help support green infrastructure projects in the customer municipalities, including some exciting PWSA projectsin the City of Pittsburgh

The added Consent Decree language does not, however, guarantee that we will go in a greener direction. We need to keep raising our voices if we want our ratepayer dollars to be spent in the best possible way. There will be a 60 day public commentperiod when the new Consent Decree is finalized. Please check back at ninemilerun.org/advocacy for updated info aboutwhere to comment and suggested language – or follow us on social media, if you are not already doing so.

The campaign has also produced some important wins in the drinking water arena over the last 2 years. PWSA created a customer assistance program for the first time, to help low-income ratepayers who are struggling with rising water rates, and instituted a moratorium on winter water shut-offs. Not only are they a critical danger for those who heat with radiators, shut-offs also increase the lead levels in a customer’s water when service is restored. PWSA has also stopped partial lead line replacements, which can increase lead levels in a home, and now covers the cost of full lead line replacement, includingprivate laterals. They are replacing lead lines as fast as possible across the city, with a total of 2,900 replaced to date.

The authority has created three Advisory Committees to further insure accountability to the public, overseeing policy onLead, Low Income Issues, and the proposed Stormwater Fee. None of this would have happened if PWSA was not a democratically controlled asset with a board that is accountable to us. For this reason, the campaign’s work to fight privatization will continue. Thanks in large part to the hard work of the Our Water Our Rivers campaign, we now have saferwater, and more equitable rates for everyone, from a public water authority that is more accountable to the ratepayers than ever.

Recently, we’ve become concerned about a new issue – the plan to run double-stacked trains through the heart of the watershed and the rest of the City of Pittsburgh. This plan would increase air and water pollution in our communities, and present aclear danger to public health. A series of public meetings are being held to make sure people are informed and know how totake action if they don’t like this plan. We hope to see you at one of them, or at any of our other events throughout the coming year. Thanks to all for your participation and support!

Advocacy Update

Your partner for clean water,

Brenda Lynn SmithExecutive Director

OUR MISSIONThe Nine Mile Run WatershedAssociation restores and protects its watershed ecosystem, while working regionally to support and implement resilient solutions fora healthy urban environment.

Is Your NMRMembershipCurrent?Members make our urbanenvironmental restorationand advocacy work possible.Please join us, and pleaseconsider a monthly sustainingmembership - it's easier onyour budget, and reallyhelps keep our programsrunning smoothly. More information is atninemilerun.org/get-involved/membership/Thanks for your support!!

Bird Walk and BreakfastSaturday June 1st, 2019 8:00am-11:00am This year, instead of taking our normal route along the upper reach of Nine MileRun, we’ll explore the bird life of Duck Hollow and the lower NMR Trail, up tothe pedestrian bridge. Kate St. John, author of the bird watching blog OutsideMy Window, will lead the tour. Breakfast to follow at Crescent Park. Pre-registrationis required for this very popular event: ninemilerun.org/get-involved/bird-walk-and-breakfast/

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Water TalksWe host a quarterly series of free open houses to discuss water related topics that affect our region over coffee and/or brews!

Double Stacks & Double Stouts Thursday March 21, 2019 6:00 pm- 8:00 pmJoin us at Square Café on S. Braddock Ave to discuss the environmental concerns about running double-stacked trains throughthe heart of our watershed. Hear from Executive Director of the Breathe Project, Matt Mehalik, about how this could impact ourentire region.

Laterals & LagersThursday, May 23rd 6:00 pm-8:00 pm Location TBD, check ninemilerun.org/events for more detailsA lateral is the underground pipe that connects your home to the main sewer line – out of sight, out of mind, until a problem occurs. Lateral maintenance and repairs are the homeowner’s responsibility. Learn more about the complex and often overlooked world of sewer laterals

Urban EcoStewards TrainingsLearn about the best ways to combat invasive plants this spring. All UrbanEcoSteward events are open to the public. Learn more about become an UrbanEcosteward or joining an event at ninemilerun.org/get-involved/urban-eco-stewards/

Bush Honeysuckle TrainingThursday, April 18th 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. Frick Park: Soccer field at the end of the Fern Hollowparking lot

Garlic Mustard TrainingThursday, May 19th 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm Frick Park: Soccer field at the end of the Fern Hollow parking lot

South Avenue Rain Garden PlantingSaturday March 23rd 10:00 am- 12:00 pm (Rain date April 6th).Join us at the parking lot near South Avenue and Wood Street next to Nancy’s East End Diner to put the finishingtouches on our latest green infrastructure project. This rain garden will keep 500 gallons of polluted stormwater fromrunning off into the storm sewer and ultimately into Nine Mile Run.

Spring Stream Sweep Saturday April 20th, 2019 9:00 am-12:00 pmFrick Park: Soccer field at the end of the Fern Hollow parking lotSpring rains wash trash & debris from upper watershed communities intoNine Mile Run. Celebrate Earth Day weekend and help us keep our stream andits surroundings clean and beautiful! If you have waterproof boots or waders,please bring them! This year we are partnering with the Regent Square CivicAssociation – they will be cleaning up the Edgewood/Swissvale parkway in-terchange area at the same time. That project starts from the lower parkinglot at 1400 S. Braddock Ave (the CLASS Center.)

Spring

Events Round

-Up

StaffBrenda Lynn SmithExecutive Director

Mike HillerAssistant Director

Kelsey SmallChief Financial Officer

Maureen CopelandDirector of Policy & Outreach

Lindsey-Rose FlowersRestoration Stewardship Coordinator

Tricia DoughertyOperations and Communications Manager

Jan RaetherUrban Forestry Coordinator

Josh WeilandStormWorks Field Technician

Brian FunkStormWorks Field Technician

InternsAndrew Edkins, The Heinz School, Carnegie Mellon UniversityJohn Jursca The University of Pittsburgh

Special thanks to…Gale McGloin, Development Consultant

Thank YouMany thanks to the dedicated StormWorks field crew for their help in making 2018 a great season!

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Board, Staff and SupportersBoard of DirectorsErin Friez, PresidentHeather Dodson, PE, LEED AP, Vice PresidentJanis Tucker, SecretaryKeith Roeper, TreasurerLouis AmmonJoseph FedorScott FingalMonica Hershberger

Jason J. McBride, PELeland ScalesZinna ScottAmy SilbermannBill SlivkaKelsey Small, ex officioBrenda Smith, ex officioMarie StapinskiJordan L. Strassburger

Hellos & GoodbyesAt the end of 2018 we said goodbye to our CFO KevinGieder. Kevin served as the shared Chief Financial Officer for the Environmental Finance Collaborative formore than seven years, with financial responsibilities for fiveorganizations: Bike Pittsburgh, Construction Junction,Grounded, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association and Tree Pittsburgh. We wish him the best of luck in his newendeavors!

We’re excited to welcome Kelsey Small as our newshared CFO! Kelsey is responsible for providing opera-tional financial expertise and oversight, budgeting andbusiness planning, and adoption of best practices in fi-nancial management. Most recently Kelsey was the In-terim Director of Finance and Administration for theCarnegie Museum of Art, where she oversaw financial,fundraising, and organizational planning initiatives.Kelsey holds a Master of Arts Management Degree fromCarnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s degree inBusiness from the University of Florida. Kelsey will servethe same group of organizations with one exception – theAllegheny County Conservation District has replaced BikePittsburgh in the EFC

Older houses our specialtyConsulting and Remodeling

What more do you want

from your house?

Improve comfort and efficiency. Create more living space.

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Anonymous Supporters3 Rivers Wet WeatherAllegheny County Conservation DistrictAmazon SmileAmerican Eagle Outfitters FoundationChoolah Indian BBQColcom FoundationCourtney Babcock Borntraeger

FoundationDominion/Western PA Conservancy

Mini-GrantEarthShareEast End Food Co-opEIS SolarFirst Unitarian ChurchField Environmental Instruments, Inc.Fred Steinberg Charitable FoundationFrick Fund of the Buhl FoundationLaw Office of Erin FriezGAI ConsultantsGarden Club of Allegheny CountyGarden Club of Forest HillsThe Heinz EndowmentsCaroline Fredericka Holdship

Trust of PNC Charitable TrustsThe Jack Buncher FoundationJames Flower and Gift ShopJ.M Hopwood Charitable TrustKatherine Mabis McKenna Foundation

The Laurel FoundationMichael Baker InternationalThe Thomas L. Nied Funeral HomeThe Pittsburgh FoundationThe following Funds of The

Pittsburgh Foundation:The Falco DeBenedetti FundThe Gertrude Hetherington Fund, in memory of David & Laura Oliver

The Nine Mile Run FundThe Rita M. McGinley FundThe Short Family Fund

Pittsburgh UnitedPWSARedZone RoboticsThe Richard King Mellon FoundationSci-Tek ConsultantsSnee Reinhardt Charitable FoundationViridian EnergyWade TrimW.I. Patterson Charitable FundWilkinsburg Chamber of CommerceWilkinsburg Community Development

Corporation

And our Board of Directors, all of ourmembers, and our StormWorks clients!

Thanks also to:AstraZenecaBNY Mellon Community PartnershipDominion FoundationGoogleMicrosoft Matching Gifts ProgramPNC FoundationUBS Foundation…for matching gifts of our members

ALCOSANAlexander Denmarsh PhotographyCreek ConnectionsGreat Lakes BreweryMagic Hat Brewing CompanyPWSASquare CafeTest AmericaUrban Forestry Consultants, IncWilkinsburg Penn Joint Water AuthorityFor donation of equipment, supplies, space, & professional services

Coffee Tree RoastersEast End Food Co-opSalvatore’s Pizza, Wilkinsburgfor fueling our volunteers!

Many thanks to all of these supporters who are making our work possible:

Urban Forestry

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Charitable Giving & Financial Planning UpdateThe charitable contribution deduction was mostly untouched by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed in December of 2017.

One of the more significant changes was an increase in the limitation for cash donations to public charities from 50% to60% of Adjusted Gross Income. While the increase in the AGI limitation is advantageous for donors, the greatly increasedstandard deduction has created a new barrier to receiving a meaningful charitable deduction for donations; many peoplewho formerly itemized will no longer be doing so.

In light of tax law changes, taxpayers have a few options for maximizing the tax-efficiency of their donations:• If you are over 70 ½, consider making Qualified Charitable Distributions (note: other restrictions do apply). These are

donations that are made directly from your traditional IRA to a public charity; they can count as your annual requiredminimum distribution (RMD). The distribution won’t be included in your taxable income, so this is a great way to donate to charity and still receive a tax benefit despite the higher standard deduction.

• Consider starting a donor-advised fund. Since contributions are deductible in the year they are made to the fund, taxpayers canbunch all of their planned future contributions into one year, allowing them to take a larger charitable deduction that could surpassthe new higher standard deduction.

• Donating appreciated property to charitable organizations allows you (and the charity) to avoid paying taxes on the associated gain.

DISCLAIMER: Past performance does not predict future results. This report is based on data obtained from sources we believe to be reliable. Hefren-Tillotson does not, nor any other party, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this report or make any warranties regarding results obtained from its usage. All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the firms judgment as of the date of this report and are subject to change without notice. This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the securities herein mentioned.

Thank you to our friends at Hefren-Tillotson for guest writing this piece.

As 2018 wound down, NMR staff managed to squeeze in one last major project with two parts: correct some areas of erosionalong the Nine Mile Run stream that were causing major impacts to the stream bank and correct some rock formations thatprevented fish from moving further upstream.

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Stream Restoration

STREAM BANK REPAIRS:Urban streams receive lots of fast moving water from the surrounding area every time it rains, causing erosion and increased sediment loads. In recent years, the sheer volumeof water has grown due to climate change, with annual arearainfall increasing by over 20 inches in 2018 alone! As a result,some of the natural bank protection, installed during theoriginal stream restoration back in 2006, has washed out. Ifleft on its own, the stream would eventually cut back to itsoriginal path, undoing a lot of hard work.

Our contractors fixed this by finding the large boulders thathad washed away from the bank and putting them back inplace. We also installed some vegetation to help keep thingsintact. Using a method called “live staking”, we can thin outexisting willow trees, and replant the cuttings in the ground.In the early spring, they will start sprouting and the tenaciousroots will help keep the bank secure. Ultimately, the bestprotection against further damage is to keep reducing theamount of stormwater entering the stream from the upperwatershed communities.

Urban watersheds bring high volume of fast moving water tothe stream during rains, eroding away stream banks

Urban Forestry

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FISh PASSAGE: The second part of the project came out of our years of fishsurveys in the stream. We learned that there are way morefish downstream than upstream because many fish were notable to pass through a section of the stream. We learned thatthere are way more fish downstream than upstream due tobarriers in the stream. The main barrier was a 19" riffle (rockformation). By extending the length of the riffle in thestream, we cut out the steepness of that one rock formation.Fish should be able to pass through more easily now. Members of Nine Mile Run’s Monitoring Committee are excited to test the impact of the restoration with a fish surveythis spring.

Thanks to Ecological Restoration Inc and River Research andDesign Inc for their design and construction of this project.

Also, huge thanks to the volunteers who came out in verycold weather to cut willows for replanting in the areas ofstream bank repair.

(left side): Stones that previously washed downstream wereput back into place with vegetation to help fortify the streambank." (top): Stones for the fish passage being loaded into adump truck." (bottom): The channel, now passable by fish.

Stormworks

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HOW TO HELP US RESTORE WATERSHED TREE CANOPYSIGN UP FOR ThE CITIZEN TREE PROJECT

• Register to receive a tree at: tinyurl.com/CitizenTreeProject

• Fill out a survey to determine eligibility and help us pair you with a suitable tree for your space

• Attend a tree planting workshop this Spring

• Plant and care for your tree on private property

• Encourage your neighbors to sign up for a tree

WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITh TREE CARE TIPS, AND hELP YOU MONITOR TREE hEALTh FOR ThENExT TWO YEARS.

To know more about the Watershed Urban Forest, you can read our Watershed Forest Master Plan at:tinyurl.com/WFMP9M

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Nine Mile Run

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WatershedA Model

One of the best ways to understand a watershed is to createa replica, or model which allows us to better understand themovement of water through it. historically, these modelshave been physical recreations, developed and tested at asignificantly smaller scale. Precise details such as elevation,river depth, bottom roughness, and ground cover were required to accurately simulate basin details. One of thelargest watershed models, the Mississippi River Basin Model,covered 200 acres in Jackson, MS and allowed the ArmyCorps of Engineers to simulate various conditions across theentire Mississippi watershed, to better protect its residents.Today, computer models have made such physical modelsobsolete, but their intricacy provides a peek into the elaborate detail required to understand our watersheds.

In recent months, we have been working with CivicMapper, alocal geospatial information services (GIS) company, to createan elaborate model of our own watershed. Unlike the Mississippi River Basin Model and other physical re-creations,our model is digital, easily updateable, and has numerous adjustable parameters. The new watershed-wide model expands upon our 2014 model of the Rosedale Runoff Reduction Project area, which analyzed the Nine Mile Runsewershed in the Homewood and East Hills neighborhoods ofPittsburgh. That model analyzed a 1.15 square mile area, andidentified 6 potential priority locations for green stormwaterinfrastructure (GSI), in addition to the two previously selectedsites at Oakwood and Batavia Sts., and at the Crescent EarlyChildhood Center. The new watershed-wide model adds 4-8new locations for potential GSI implementation in the water-shed; one or two in each of the four watershed municipalities.

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To create the most accurate model possible we have workedwith CivicMapper to compile the best available imagery, digitalelevation models, infrastructure data, and surface informa-

tion and have taken steps to improve it when possible. To dothis, we have identified and confirmed the location of stormdrains, which serve as potential "exit points" for water in thesystem, and identified surface errors which might create inac-curacies in the analysis. Additionally, a survey of residents andgovernment officials has helped us identify “hot spots,” orproblem areas, which we are able to test against the model toconfirm its accuracy. The current model and analysis captures a point intime, but as more information becomes available, or as conditions change, we will be able to update the model and re-run analyses. This continuous re-evaluation of our model iscritical in adapting to climate change and developmentacross our watershed.

Non-Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDPittsburgh, PAPermit No. 23

WANT TO GO GREEN? Call (412) 371-8779 ext. 119 or email info@ninemilerun.org to receive this newsletter by email.

EIS Solar and NMRWA are proud to announce the

CLEAN ENERGY, CLEAN WATERSHEDS

CAMPAIGNRequest a free solar evaluation at

eissolar.com/solar-pittsburgh-contact andchoose “Nine Mile Run” in the drop-down menu.

Customers installing PV Systems of 3dW ormore will receive a $250 PV System Discount,AND NMRWA will receive a $250 donation from EIS.

A win-win!

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12 Nine Mile Run News | Spring 2019 ninemilerun.org