The Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory, with Jonathan Burgess at the helm, has collaborated with the National Wildlife Federation to help kickstart the restoration of the Ohio River Basin. Jonathan Burgess, the director of the Collaboratory, has been working for a few years to push for a coalition of partners to create a plan for this federally funded restoration. The plan was launched at the beginning of June. You can read more about the restoration here. Burgess was also interviewed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the importance of the Ohio River Basin to America’s economy and our environment.
In addition to this work, Emily Elliot, the co-founder of the Collaboratory and a professor in the Department of Geology & Environmental Science, published a paper alongside a class of her students where they collaborated with the US Army Corps of Engineers to monitor the downriver impacts from an artificial spring flood that was created from a large water release from the Kinzua Dam.
Finally, a video produced by members of the University of Pittsburgh titled “Riversense: Science Driving Water Equity” featured the Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory. The video is a Telly Awards Bronze Winner for General Sustainability. You can watch the video here.