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Building Innovation is a collection of stories by 90.5 fm WESA reporters about the Pittsburgh region focusing on efficient government operation, infrastructure and transportation, innovative practices, energy and environment and neighborhoods and community.

Sewage and Schools? How ALCOSAN Is Reaching Students And Teachers

90.5 WESA

It’s back-to-school time in the region, and the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, better known as ALCOSAN, is highlighting its role in the classroom.

The sewage and water treatment facility isn’t something automatically linked with schools, but for more than a decade, the authority has done educational outreach.

“We have a very comprehensive scholastic outreach program that started in 2002, and we’re in schools throughout the 83 municipalities of the ALCOSAN service area; we’re in more than 300 schools,” said spokeswoman Jeanne Clark.

Certified teachers go into classrooms for hands-on, age-appropriate activities aimed at educating students about water, public health, the environment and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

“Engineering, landscape architect opportunities, you think of anything that touches water, we try to get the kids to understand that there are a whole lot of opportunities out there for them: microbiologist, ecologists, geologists,” said Clark.

But not all students are interested in STEM fields, and ALCOSAN doesn’t leave them out.

“We have a special program called the Pipeline Program that helps students who are not necessarily college bound to get into apprentice programs and to get ready for apprentice programs, to do things to work in the field from welding to pipeline placement – a whole lot of different things,” said Clark.

In order to combat sewage overflow into rivers during rainy weather, ALCOSAN and other regional partners are working on plans to upgrade infrastructure. An initial plan included only so-called “gray” infrastructure, which had large, concrete pipes being built. Updated plans include more “green” infrastructure options, which will be highlighted at an upcoming open house.

“We’re going to have green infrastructure displays and opportunities for kids to physically see how a bioswale would work, how – all these weird terms for green infrastructure – what they mean and how they work,” said Clark.

To kick off the new school year the plant will be open for the public open house Sept. 19. Kids can earn extra school credit through some activities offered there and there is a professional development opportunity for teachers. ALCOSAN’s 59-acre treatment plant processes up to 250 million gallons of wastewater daily, and is one of the largest such facilities in the Ohio River Valley.