Lancaster Green Infrastructure Initiative

The City of Lancaster discharges stormwater in two different ways: through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and through Municipal Separated Stormwater Sewer Systems. CSOs are discharges of untreated sewage that flow into the Conestoga River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. The City is responsible for about 750 million gallons of CSO. This is common in historic cities like Lancaster that rely on a combined sewer system (CSS). A CSS collects and transports both domestic sewage and rainwater flowing from downspouts, streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and over impervious surfaces into the City’s storm drains. About 45% of the City – mostly in the historic 4 square mile charter – is serviced by a combined system. Eighty-five percent of the time, the City’s Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility is able to manage and clean the volume of water flowing through this CSS. However, during heavy rainstorms, the system becomes overwhelmed and untreated stormwater overflows into rivers. The problem of stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflow (CSO) is not going away; nor will our responsibility to help clean and restore the Bay; however, the City has become a leader in using green infrastructure to manage stormwater. See below to learn more!

The City also has about 4 square miles of area that is serviced by a Municipal Separated Stormwater Sewer System (MS4), which is mostly located in outlying areas of the City that were annexed throughout the years; an MS4 is a system that conveys stormwater through storm drains, pipes, and ditches that discharges to surface waters. This requires an MS4 Permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) provisions of the Federal Clean Water Act, which requires specific best management practices to be used to ensure water quality in the City’s stormwater management program. The City is also using the latest green infrastructure technologies to manage MS4 discharges.  Learn more about what the City is doing and how you can help !

Watersheds are a bit like Russian Dolls: there are watersheds within watersheds with watersheds. The City of Lancaster, for instance, is in the Conestoga watershed, which is a part of the Susquehanna watershed and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The health of the Chesapeake Bay is dependent on communities upstream, like the City of Lancaster. In fact, the Chesapeake Bay watershed runs across the District of Columbia and six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the great natural resources of the United States and President Obama declared it a National Treasure in Executive Order 13508. The City of Lancaster is under regulatory pressure to lessen its impact on the bay.

The Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing regulations that protect the Chesapeake Bay, including a Total Maximum Daily Load. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a “pollution diet” that identifies the maximum amount of a pollutant a waterway can receive and still meet applicable water quality standards. A TMDL sets limits on nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment from point sources, nonpoint sources, and a margin of safety to account for uncertainty. Point sources include sewage treatment plants, stormwater discharges, industrial discharges, etc. Nonpoint sources include pollutants carried by rainfall runoff from forests, agricultural lands, atmospheric deposition, abandoned land mines, etc. The City of Lancaster’s MS4 and Combined Sewer Outfalls are examples of regulated point sources.

Chesapeake Bay TMDL is the largest and most complex in the U.S. It is actually a combination of 276 TMDLs. The TMDL will be implemented using an accountability framework that guides restoration efforts using four elements. These elements include Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs), two-year milestones, EPA’s tracking and assessment of restoration progress, and specific federal actions if jurisdictions do not meet their commitments. This accountability framework helps demonstrate the reasonable assurance provisions of the Bay TMDL pursuant to both the Clean Water Act and the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order 13508. The City of Lancaster is working hard to do its part in restoring local water quality and consequently the Chesapeake Bay.

The City of Lancaster is solving its stormwater challenges through the implementation of a 25-year green infrastructure plan. The plan’s mission is to provide more livable, sustainable neighborhoods for City residents and reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and nutrient loads. Green infrastructure (GI) enhances the natural environment to manage rainwater where it falls, allowing water to soak into the ground, evaporate into the air or collect in storage units. Examples of GI include porous asphalt, rain gardens, bioswales, street trees, and green roofs, among many other green technologies. The City of Lancaster has been recognized as a leader in sustainable stormwater management at the international, national, state, and local levels.  Learn more about green infrastructure here! 

With green infrastructure BMP's now in place, the City of Lancaster needs to be able to efficiently conduct routine inspections, maintenance, and effectiveness assessments on all of the assets in the city limits. In tandem with Environmental Engineering firm Terraphase Engineering, a smart data collection platform was created that provides field inspection crews an intuitive application to be used on mobile devices. The application combines both geospatial and form-based methods of collection allowing the user to confidently browse to the correct BMP, input inspection details into a pre-populated form specific to that category of BMP. This data is updated in real-time allowing crew managers to monitor inspections, track urgent needs, as well as monitor progression.

BMP Inspections and work orders can be planned out ahead of time using a dispatcher dashboard. The dispatcher will then easily be able to track the location and time required for inspections and work orders which in turn helps plan future events. Data validation measures were also put in place so that only pertinent data could be collected and the required data was not missed. After submitting a BMP inspection, an automated email detailing the required maintenance details is sent to the Green Infrastructure Stormwater team so that they can act quickly and get a work order generated. 

This Strategic Plan focuses on the people of the City of Lancaster and the fundamental work of the City government. The city as well as its populous will need to work together in order to find creative and sustainable solutions to build a better future for our city.

We are working across departments, using data more effectively, partnering with residents, businesses, educational institutions, and non-profits to address the unique needs of every neighborhood, block by block. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done, but I know that together we can accomplish great things. The best of Lancaster is yet to be.

—Danene Sorace, Mayor of Lancaster