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“Rain Tax” Helps Keep Pollution from Waterways

The federal government is toughening limits on how much storm water can enter rivers and lakes. For many cities, it’s proving expensive - especially in older communities, where water pipes are crumbling and in need of repair. To fix those systems, some local governments are starting to charge residents a stormwater utility fee, or "rain tax."

Produced by The Allegheny Front

CSO Solutions
Rain Check
Green Schoolyards
Polluting the Aquifer
Conservation vs Growth
Conewago Creek

A rural Pennsylvania community addresses water quality issues and shows the benefits of targeted, collaborative, voluntary approaches to watershed conservation and implementation of BMPs in this USDA Showcase Watershed.
Wetlands Research

Penn State faculty and students study the health of natural and manmade wetlands.
Landscape Architecture

Penn State landscape architecture faculty train a new generation of students to tackle stormwater issues with green infrastructure
Pittsburgh Plans to Get Sewage Out of the Water

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority plans to spend more than $2 billion to build miles of new underground tunnels, and to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant. Some clean river advocates are pushing for alternatives, like green infrastructure. We begin our series Ripple Effects: Water Pollution & New Solutions with a look at the debate over sewage in the waterways.
The Benefit of Cleaner Waterways

Central Appalachia’s watersheds face a wide variety of serious challenges to their health, including sedimentation, heavy metal contamination, stormwater runoff, and high levels of human waste in streams.
“Rain Tax” Helps Keep Pollution from Waterways

The federal government is toughening limits on how much storm water can enter rivers and lakes. For many cities, it’s proving expensive - especially in older communities, where water pipes are crumbling and in need of repair. To fix those systems, some local governments are starting to charge residents a stormwater utility fee, or "rain tax."

Resources for "Pollution"

Resources

Individual ActionMonitor Your Local WaterbodiesParticipate and learn how to monitor your local waterbodies with the programs from the World Water Monitoring Challenge.
Learn MoreHow Do We Prevent Water Pollution?Learn more on how pollution is affecting our river from American Rivers.
Learn MoreClean Water Act SummaryLearn more about the Clean Water Act and its programs through this summary from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Learn MoreNational Association for Clean Water AgenciesNACWA works with the clean water community to explore fixes to the way the nation approaches its water quality needs.
Learn MoreSustainable Landscape AnimationView these animations to understand sustainable landscapes from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Learn MoreSurf Your WatershedFind your watershed and discover the organizations that are working to protect water quality by visiting the Environmental Protection Agency.