More than $1.3 million is coming to Allegheny County to support environmental justice projects.
The funding is from two grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — the larger totals $1 million and will go to the city of McKeesport. Projects there will address negative environmental and health issues associated with air pollution and stormwater management, as well as mitigate the higher temperatures that occur in urban areas that lack greenspace.
One McKeesport initiative includes what’s called a "bioswale" park. Bioswales are greenspaces designed to manage stormwater and pollution. Some money will also go to McKeesport’s small-scale cleanup program, which removes hazardous debris and trash from abandoned lots. And it will fund a feasibility study to determine if it’s safe to build a new neighborhood on an abandoned brownfield site.
The other grant — which amounts to nearly $330,000 — is for projects that will make communities throughout Allegheny County more climate resilient, including flood mitigation, particularly within communities of color.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection received $1 million to increase community outreach and education.
