Building Green Infrastructure in Blair County, Pennsylvania

This poster will highlight the ongoing efforts of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, UMD Environmental Finance Center, American Rivers, and other partners in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The “Building Green Infrastructure” project is a prime example of taking a collaborative regional approach to building Local Leadership and securing Healthy Watersheds in a “typical” Pennsylvania MS4 atmosphere--several small municipalities strapped for resources, with a unique opportunity to work together towards the goal of improving water quality. Green infrastructure is a sustainable approach to meeting Chesapeake Bay and local water quality regulations and goals. Green infrastructure has been shown to create community amenities, save money long-term, and is a fitting solution for under-resourced local governments. This poster will highlight five main project components: collaboration, establishing a stormwater financing plan, creating accessible sets of skilled practitioners, public outreach, and the process of putting local BMP demonstration projects in the ground. The project partners are confident that the project will leave a lasting impact on the Blair County region and serve as a model for Pennsylvania MS4 communities, and at a larger level, all Bay communities that might benefit from a regional approach to green infrastructure. Funding for this project has been generously provided by NFWF