Nine Mile Run Watershed

The Nine-​Mile run Watershed is located in the Regent Square/​Edgewood area of Pittsburgh and covers ~6.5 square miles. It boasts a stream and breathtaking scenery. It includes hiking trails and the largest urban stream restoration completed by the Army Corp of Engineers. The Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, is s non-​profit organization located at 321 Pennwood Ave., supporting preservation of the site. They maintain a Facebook site and sponsor social and fund-​raising events.

I live close to nine mile run. All spring, summer and fall I get out there and walk as often as I can manage. If you’re in Swissvale, Squirrel Hill, or Regent Square and you’re not hiking through Frick down towards the Mon at least now and then, get out there and see what you’ve been missing!

The Nine Mile Run is a small stream that connects Frick Park with the Monongahela River. Chances are you’ve driven over it, biked over it, or walked over it but you wouldn’t know it. You can cross it in hundreds of places but you won’t need a bridge. That’s because the stream runs almost entirely underground, emerging in Frick Park. The address shown is approximately where it emerges.
People have lived in the Nine Mile Run Watershed for many centuries. The Native American Deleware tribe resided here until the 1600s. LIkely they hunted and fished here because it has been home to many species. When the Europeans arrived, they formed small communities and the region prospered, especially with the arrival of the steel industry. When that industry declined in the 1970s the area suffered a sizeable population loss. It is now reinventing itself into a post-​industrial environment with plenty of green space.
Nine Mile Run flows through Wilkinsburg, Swissvale, Edgewood, and the eastern most portion of Squirrel Hill. It is currently unhealthy. As the 20^th Century began, streams were often used to transport trash and sewage and most of the Run was piped into underground culverts. The Run often gives off a stench of sewage after a rain. That’s because over a quarter of the watershed is covered by impermeable surfaces such as pavement and sidewalks which do not allow rainwater to filter into the soil. Whenever it rains, Nine Mile Run becomes overwhelmed with water runoff, causing erosion, destruction of animal habitat, and environmental degradation. This is not helped by Pittsburgh’s outdated sewer system. Just how antiquated is the system? No permits for the construction of the type of sewers Pittsburgh uses have been issued since the 1930s.
Nine Mile Run was also deeply affected by the steel industry. While the mills kept us fed and put our kids thru school, they did heavy damage to the environment. Nine Mile Run Wateshed contained no mills, but millions of tons of slag were dumped along the edge of the stream. In 1922, Duquesne Slag Company bought 94 acres of the Nine Mile Run Watershed and over the years bought more and more land. Despite this being zoned a residential area, Duquesne Slag continued dumping. It’s estimated that some 200 million tons of slag rest in the area.
Today the Nine Mile Run Watershed is in the middle of decade long restoration project. Reclamation projects have resulted in new housing, vegetation, and greenways on the former slag heap. The Watershed is currently home to 250 plant species, 22 different mammals, and 189 types of birds. A 100 acre greenway is being built to connect Frick Park with the Mon River. A trail has been built along the stream and it will eventually link up with the Duck Hollow Trail and a direct connection will be made to the trail system in the park. My Girlfriends and I hike Frick Park’s extensive trails and we are looking forward to being able to hike all the way from Reynolds Street down to the Mon.