Reading Environment Advisory Council reports focus on green infrastructure and climate resiliency
May 3—Reading's Environmental Advisory Council had a successful year with a focus on promoting green infrastructure, climate resiliency and the greening of the city, according to the group.
Cathy Curran-Myers and Sarah Crothers Bach, advisory council chair and vice chair, respectively, reported on the group's activities at a recent City Council meeting.
The seven-member advisory council serves as a community engagement tool and welcomes public involvement in subcommittees and outreach events, Curran-Myers said.
Since the last report in 2021, the group has worked with the city on controlling litter with the adopt-a-block project, lead abatement programs, greenhouse gas inventory, a wastewater-treatment plant energy audit, and planning and implementing the removal of Bernhart Dam.
Current priorities, Curran-Myers said, include promoting green infrastructure, stormwater management, developing a climate resiliency plan and increasing the number of trees and gardens in the city.
The EAC has been working with city staff to incorporate sustainability into planning and purchasing, reduce Reading's carbon footprint, and explore the potential for electric vehicle charging stations and plastic bag bans, she said.
"In all these areas," Curran-Myers said, "we feel that the EAC has a fundamental role in community engagement, inclusivity and outreach."
The group also is working to install explanatory signs at green infrastructure projects, such as the porous pavements being used on basketball courts, as well as rain gardens and green roofs on city-owned properties.
Despite some delays in the installation of rain gardens, Curran-Myers said, group members are hopeful they can be implemented this construction season.
She said the group is assisting the city in creating a climate resiliency plan and was fortunate to be selected by the state Department of Environmental Protection as a model city. Reading's advisory council will receive direct assistance from DEP staff and the resources to develop the framework for a resiliency plan and an initial emissions inventory.
Crothers Bach said the advisory council provides advice on issues brought to it by city elected officials, staff and residents. It worked on developing recently enacted code amendments that bring Reading into compliance with state regulations on invasive species and noxious weeds.
The amendments also address the illegal dumping of yard waste in the city's parks and woodland preserves.
The group is working on guidelines that will result in greater transparency of the potential contamination of properties undergoing redevelopment. The EAC is developing a database to assist staff in identifying environmental issues that may affect redevelopment and a system to record state restrictions that may affect permitted uses on brownfields sites.
Crothers Bach said testing revealed that concerns about toxic hazards in the Schuylkill River appear to be unfounded, but monitoring of the water will continue.
The group monitors the effects of the Exide Technologies battery plant's bankruptcy on the continued remediation of lead contamination in Bernhart Park, she said.
The city-owned property in Muhlenberg Township was cleaned and reopened in 2010 after years of contamination by Exide's predecessor, which operated nearby.
The women thanked city staff members for their ongoing advice and support. They also thanked City Council, especially noting the support of Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, who was instrumental in forming the EAC in 2007.
"(She) has stuck with us through thick and thin," Curran-Myers said, "and has jumped in to assist when other members left, so we really appreciate that."
