Green it! Lancaster: An Updated Plan To Improve The Safety And Sustainability Of The Streams And Lakes Of PA

 

By Anthony Prisco

 

Lancaster City has implemented a program to combat Storm Drain management. Green it! Lancaster is a program that, over the next 25 years, will improve the quality of life for the citizens of Lancaster City while making the rivers and streams cleaner. They will do this by implementing nature-friendly practices,

Stormwater runoff can cause issues like

WAYS STORM RUNOFF AFFECTS CITIES

• Damages to Infrastructure in the city, such as buildings, streets, alleys and parking lots
• Water Pollution
• flooding
• Erosion
• Impact on aquatic life

. Some of the technology the city will use or implement to combat Stormwater runoff. 

WAYS TO PREVENT STORM RUNOFF DAMAGE 

• Putting up rain gardens, which will capture and filter rainwater,
• Permeable pavements will allow driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and other paved areas to allow water to pass through, causing it to percolate through the surface into the ground.    
• Adding more trees around the city so water can absorb naturally, and adding green infrastructures around busy streets.

Photo By: Anthony Prisco

All of these tactics will help rainwater be absorbed, filtered and managed naturally instead of using the sewers systems. the technology listed above has been placed around Lancaster City since 2010 below is the graph showing how many projects have been done from 2010-2018 

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND VOLUNTEERS 

Green It! Lancaster has not just focused on the goal but to expand the knowledge and education of the goal. with Green it Using public education and citizens of Lancaster city to not only ask for volunteer help but to also use public owned businesses, organizations and public residents to influence the education of storm rain management and Green infrastructure. Websites like Saveitlancaster.com have also been greatly influencing the work Green It! Lancaster and other programs have been doing while providing updates to what the city has been doing and what homeowners can do to help on their property.  

DONATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS

The program has also received multiple donations and stakeholder support, enabling Green It Lancaster to implement measures to combat storm management and advance green infrastructure. The city collaborates with the Lancaster County conservation district, local environmental organizations, and residents, which not only provides funding to continue the programs but also offers guidance in certain areas. 

RELATED STORY’S

Stormwater Residential Grant Program

Lancaster city placed the stormwater residential grant program and other incentives to encourage anyone who owns a home, business, school, or other buildings to place green infrastructures like rain gardens, wells, and other technologies around their property. These incentives vary from being given grants on the money they spent building the GI to up to 50% off their stormwater bill. These perks can only be given, though, once the property applies by application detailing the project and its efficiencies. Schools can also apply for the grant if they provide education on stormwater runoff in classrooms and show they meet all requirements.  

West Goshen Township Stormwater and Clean Stream Management. 

West Goshen Township has also been hard at work implementing systems and programs to combat stormwater runoff. Their website is full of helpful ways to implement green projects on citizens property. They also have plenty of information on the website talking about stormwater management, Information on how the public can do their part and how construction companies can create more runoff control. They also provide updates on stormwater management, including repairs to corroded pipes. They do this almost monthly. Overall, West Goshen Township, like Lancaster city, has been making great strides in trying to bring a better, cleaner water system to their township, helping make PA rivers and streams cleaner.

PROFILES

PENNVEST

PENNVEST or the Pennsylvania Infrastructure investment. Provided a loan to Lancaster City to start green infrastructure programs funding to start projects all over Lancaster city. PENNVEST provides financial assistance to help provide the commonwealth clean drinking water and also make sure the economic development progresses .They fund an assortment of different economical Projects with Green infrastructure being one. PENNVEST provided financial aid of almost 7 million dollars to the Green infractures program allowing Lancaster city with other businesses funding as well to do a pilot test so the program can implement stormwater management and other utilities and fees that help pave the way for the green it lancaster program that it is now.  

Mayor Danene Sorace

Mayor Danene Sorace who has been the mayor since 2018 not only has experience being a leader in non profit but is also an environmental advocate. Mayor Danene Sorace has endorsed environmental plans. She has implanted her own plan called the Municipal climate action plan where she plans on combating climate change by attempting to make Lancaster City use more reusable energy and prevent waste from spreading. Although something that correlates with Green it Lancaster is that the mayor plan supports what green it Lancaster has been doing and in her plan mentions that they will continue to attempt to put more green infrastructure around Lancaster with trees and rain gardens around busy roads to prevent stormwater runoff

 

TIMELINE

*Graph above shows what all 57 projects were implemented as*

OVERALL GOAL 

With all of this in the plan , Green it! Lancaster has a lot of long term goals that the program is looking to bring forward as the years go on some of these goals include.

• Water quality improvement which will prevent pollution from reaching our rivers and streams. Flood Preventions,
• Enhancing Biodiversity by planting green infrastructures and trees will allow more local wildlife to create habitats.
• To increase the look of the cities and neighborhoods making people want to move there more.  
• climate change resilience by bringing more natural aspects like tree’s natural infrastructures like plants, gardens, and vegetations

will make Lancaster city less impacted by the high temperatures and increased rainfall that climate change brings. 

VIDEO 

As for where they will look to focus these efforts it will be spread out to almost all around the city where Multiple programs Lancaster City has for placing stormwater run off equipment and planning wildlife. They will be looking to place tree’s and green infrastructures around parks and roads while also finding busy areas that have a lot of buildings to place rain guards or have permeable pavement. These areas can include parking lots, schools, while also prioritizing major streets that cars drive mostly on. Strategy to make these roads complete for cyclists’ transit and drivers with strips of grass being placed at the edge of each cross walk around Lancaster city. 

In conclusion the Green It! Lancaster will implement a very consistent and well executed green plan to allow Lancaster city to be more eco friendly and be able to combat climate change while making plans to combat rainwater runoff so the sewer systems do not contaminate  rivers and streams in PA 

REFERENCES 

Villanova, www1.villanova.edu/dam/villanova/engineering/VUSP/2019Sympresentations/4b/4%20Leah%20Rominger%20-%20Lancaster_GreenIt_Plan_final.pdf. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

“Greenit! Lancaster.” City of Lancaster, PA, 7 Mar. 2023, www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/stormwater-information/greenit-lancaster/.

Green It! Lancaster, www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GREENIT_LANCASTER_FINAL_withAppendices_022519.pdf. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

“Regional Stormwater Feasibility Study.” Regional Stormwater Feasibility Study | West Goshen Township, PA, www.westgoshen.org/374/Regional-Stormwater-Feasibility-Study. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

“Agencies.” Infrastructure Investment Authority | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, www.pa.gov/agencies/pennvest.html#accordion-faae38750c-item-e78708d9b5. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

“Mayor’s Office.” City of Lancaster, PA, 24 Oct. 2024, www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/departments/mayors-office/.

Municipal Climate Action Plan, www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/City-of-Lancasters-Municipal-Operations-Climate-Action-Plan-hi-res.pdf. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.