Eight hundred and fifty trees will be planted in Millvale thanks to a $703,525 state grant to help reduce storm water run-off and flooding into Girty's Run.
The funding is part of $98 million that Pennsylvania is investing into drinking water, non-point source, and wastewater projects across 19 counties.
Millvale Borough Manager Virginia Pucci said while Girty's Run will benefit from the money, so will the rest of the community. "In the borough we have a combined sewer system so every bit of water that we can help keep out of the sewer system, every bit of storm water that we can keep out of it helps our borough."
Pucci said the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy helped file for the grant and will be active in planting the trees along with bioswales.
Bioswales are storm water run-off conveyance systems that act as an alternative to sewers. They can absorb low flows or carry run-off from rains and melting snow to storm sewer inlets.
She said the borough is also working on other environmental projects. "We've been starting rain gardens, we've been doing volunteer rain barrels, (and) we have a gardening project in the borough which we work with Allegheny County on."
Pucci said the project could start as early as May this year and go until 2013, at which point the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will provide maintenance for a year and then hand it over to the borough.
