ALCOSAN advances Cycle 13 GROW grants as source control program exceeds overflow reduction targets

ALCOSAN advances Cycle 13 GROW grants as source control program exceeds overflow reduction targetsThe utility's Green Committee has recommended six new municipal projects for funding, buoyed by data showing the $100 million grant program has already eliminated nearly 1.3 billion gallons of inflow and infiltration.

The Green Committee approved six Cycle 13 projects, including sewer separation, system optimization, and I&I reduction, with top awards going to McKees Rocks Borough and West View Water Authority.

Performance data from 125 completed projects shows the removal of nearly 1.3 billion gallons of water, yielding an estimated 234 million gallons of overflow reduction.

Despite inflation pushing the cost efficiency metric to $0.67 per overflow gallon removed—up from an initial $0.37—utility staff maintain the program remains highly cost-effective.

The GROW program represents a $100 million investment, roughly 5% of ALCOSAN's overall $2 billion Clean Water Plan.

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) Green Committee advanced six municipal source control projects for funding under Cycle 13 of the Green Revitalization of Our Waterways (GROW) program on September 15, 2026. The approvals come as new performance evaluations indicate the program is significantly outperforming its initial combined sewer overflow (CSO) reduction targets. Out of eight applications submitted for Cycle 13, six were recommended for grant agreements. The approved slate includes sewer separation initiatives totaling $5.6 million, one system optimization project at over $650,000, and two inflow and infiltration (I&I) jobs totaling nearly $400,000. The largest recommended awards include over $2.5 million for a McKees Rocks Borough sewer separation project and nearly $1.7 million for the West View Water Authority. Most approved projects in this cycle secured an 85% funding match from ALCOSAN. Tim Prevost, ALCOSAN’s Manager of Wet Weather Programs, highlighted a $1.6 million storm sewer separation project in Turtle Creek Borough as a major success of the utility's iterative review process. After the project was deemed unready in a previous cycle, ALCOSAN provided flow monitoring assistance and dye-testing to verify storm sewer capacity. The refined project is now slated to receive nearly $1.4 million in ALCOSAN funding to effectively reduce flows to both municipal and ALCOSAN-owned CSOs. Two applications—a sewer separation project in Millvale and another in McKees Rocks—were not recommended for funding, with staff noting that the projects required further development to ensure cost-effectiveness. Beyond the new cycle approvals, utility staff presented cumulative performance data from 125 completed GROW projects. According to Prevost, the completed projects have collectively removed nearly 1.3 billion gallons of water from the system, translating to an estimated 234 million gallons of overflow reduction. Over half of the completed projects have either overperformed or stayed within 25% of initial estimates, while only 10% have underperformed, typically due to I&I installation challenges or overestimated green infrastructure impacts. The cost of removing that water has risen over the program's ten-year lifespan due to inflation and rising construction costs. Initially modeled at $0.37 per gallon in 2016, the cost efficiency metric now sits at $0.67 per overflow gallon removed. Despite the increase, Prevost noted the program has recovered from a cost-efficiency spike in Cycle 10 and remains a highly effective investment for the utility. The GROW program’s localized municipal investments serve as a key component of ALCOSAN’s consent decree compliance. While major infrastructure like plant expansions and deep tunnels are expected to handle billion-gallon reductions, the $100 million GROW program—representing about 5% of the broader $2 billion Clean Water Plan—provides immediate, localized relief. Representative Emily Kincaid questioned if the grant program was playing a larger role than anticipated in the utility's overall compliance strategy. Prevost confirmed that the 234 million gallons of reduction from just the first 125 projects strongly suggests the program will easily surpass its 300-million-gallon benchmark as more municipalities submit final reports. In addition to the Cycle 13 awards, the committee unanimously approved modifications to the GROW Program Grant Agreement, Cycle 14 Program Guidelines, and end-date extensions for approximately 20 existing projects spanning Cycles 4 through 12.