Restoring the Health of Panther Hollow Kate Evasic, Meliora Design Emily McCoy, RLA, ASLA, Andropogon Associates Project Partners • Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy • Heinz Foundation • Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Design Team • Meliora Design • Andropogon Associates • Rothschild Doyno Collaborative • Cosmos Technologies Project Goals • Understand Panther Hollow hydrology. – Natural and Existing • Develop attainable surface water goals. – Return baseflow to Phipps Run and Panther Hollow Stream. – Mitigate the “flashiness” of runoff during heavy storm events. • Identify range of possible interventions & priority locations for pilot projects. • Design and construct three pilot projects in the watershed. Looking at Panther Hollow • Four Mile Run Sewershed • CMU, Pitt • Oakland, Squirrel Hill Looking at Panther Hollow Water Land People Rothschild Doyno Colaborative Water Original Watershed Monongahela Panther Hollow 4-Mile Run Understanding Historic Conditions • Overlaid watershed with • Overlaid historic streams historic maps. with current topography & aerials. Source: Map of Pittsburgh, J.F. Diffenbacher, Publisher of City Directory, 1885. Provided by the Darlington Library. Defining the Watersheds • Revised watershed boundary based on field notes. ORIGINAL AREA = 780 AC REVISED AREA = 384 AC Original Watershed: Forest • Divided watershed into pre-columbian subbasins. PHIPPS RUN = 67 AC PANTHER HOLLOW STREAM = 300 AC PANTHER HOLLOW LAKE = 17 AC Existing Watershed: Direct Drainage Water from these areas typically makes its way into the CSO. Crowned street Steep slopes and low curbs could allow for runoff to reach the watershed during heavy storms. Clogged inlets Hydrologic Cycle for Pittsburgh Where is the Runoff Coming From? Land Cover Runoff Volume by Land Cover WinSLAMM Modeling • Small Storm Hydrology Method Initial Estimate of Annual Runoff (Pitt 1987) Volume by Land Cover • 47 Years of Rainfall Data – each event analyzed • Runoff calculated for each land use for each rainfall event Small Storm Hydrology Method • Forest & lawn considered urban soils WinSLAMM Model Calibration • Three years of ALCOSAN discharge data from Panther Hollow Lake • Rainfall data for 2008 • Runoff coefficients adjusted: more runoff occurs sooner than assumed from lawn and woods Lawns were “functionally impervious” WinSLAMM Model Calibration Where is the Runoff Coming From? • Too much runoff, not enough recharge • Focus on impervious AND “pervious” areas Land Ecological Assessment – Phipps Ecological Assessment – Panther Hollow Slope Landcover Quality Landcover Quality = disturbances + vegetation + soil + slope + land shape Landcover Quality Forest and Woodland Fair to Good Woodland and Turf Poor to Fair Hydric Woodland and Emergent Marsh Poor to Fair People Engaging the Community May 23, Schenley Plaza Tent Discuss your favorite water, people, and land places June 30, Community Hike Review the potential demonstration project locations and give us your feedback Neighborhood Connections Community Events People Places Green Infrastructure Planning + Pilot Projects Identifying Interventions Identifying Interventions Pilot Projects: Phipps Run Basin • Compacted Golf Course • Flashy Runoff, Erosion, Degraded Woods, Little Baseflow Schenley Drive - Golf Course • Existing conditions Schenley Drive - Golf Course • Proposed Concept – Retentive Grading in “rough” areas Schenley Drive - Golf Course • Revised Design – Small steps Schenley Drive - Skinny Street Schenley Drive - Skinny Street Panther Hollow Basin: Pilot Projects • Streets and Mowed Lawns • Little Recharge Beacon Street Lawn to Meadow • Proposed Concept – Infiltration Trench and Wildflower Meadow Beacon Street Infiltration Trenches • Description Could a Larger Area be Captured? Not to Trenches, but there are other opportunities. Restoring the Health of Panther Hollow Kate Evasic, Meliora Design Emily McCoy, RLA, ASLA, Andropogon Associates .