Earthjustice attorney Abigail Dillen, representing the Environmental Integrity Project and Citizens Coal Council, successfully fended off a legal challenge from plant owner Allegheny Energy, which sought allowance for its facility to continue polluting the river. The Monongahela River Watershed Assessment is a two phase study process that will result in a Watershed Plan for the Monongahela basin. However, the water used to be known as highly polluted and almost killed off everything in it. That status remained until 2014, when the DEP declared that the river’s sulfate levels had dropped to acceptable levels. Complaints obtained from the health department reveal descriptions of an industrial stench wafting over the old milltowns of the Monongahela River valley — “A STRONG ODOR … Pittsburgh was once known as the “Smoky City” or “Hell With the Lid Off” due to the overwhelmingly foul conditions that plagued it for over a century. In the spring of 2018, the municipal authority noticed its discharges into the Monongahela River violated its NPDES permit standards for certain chemicals, including ammonia-nitrogen. Among 25,450 ballots cast, the Monongahela River received 8,156 votes. PennEnvironment prepared their findings based on compliance data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The main stem of the Monongahela River has been acidic, until very recently, throughout its length. Clean air and clean water are not mutually exclusive, nor are they some version of an ecological Sophie’s Choice. Deemer said she believes that Pittsburgh’s waterways are just as iconic as the bridges that cross them. monongahela river pollution caused by an oil spill which resulted when a coupling ruptured on a line connecting barge... - NARA - 557234.jpg 2.019 × 3.000; 723 KB MONONGAHELA RIVER SHOWS DISCHARGE FROM A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT AT MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, NEAR … 1 997). Adelina Lancianese is a 2017-18 Kroc Fellow at NPR and a 2017 graduate of Georgetown University. “Although the polluters mentioned in the PennEnvironment report may not be literally in our backyard, they are upstream and should be held accountable,” said Prizio. Source: PennEnvironment. In the recent past, the Monongahela River was wrecked by industrial waste and pollution. Read More: Monongahela River pollution sign affixed to the door of a gasoline service station across the monongahela river from a united states steel corporation coke plant at clairton, pennsylvania, 20 miles south of pittsburgh. Chemicals Lurking in Toys and Costumes are Harmful to Children. Eastman Chemical’s national headquarters has not responded to a request for comment. Over the past decade, in terms of diversity, the Mon River became home to many fish qualified as pollution intolerant, including the red horse sucker and some minnows, the state Fish and Boat Commission has said. David Lawlor was a writer in the Development department. Cleveland had been a major industrial city since the 1880s, and the mayor then called the river “an open sewer through the center of the city.” But when the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland in 1969, many believe it became the symbol of out-of-control pollution that … The Ohio River … The environmental advocacy group, Penn Environment, is raising a red flag. Pollution controls damaged by a Christmas Eve fire are working again. The event is commemorated by the Donora Smog Museum. Fish and other aquatic organisms responded to improving water quality by recolonizing the once degraded reaches (Preston and White 1978, Cooper 1983, Weller et al. His environmental activism stems from an affinity for nature and the deep ecology philosophy espoused by the Norwegian philosopher, Arne Naess. Produced by: … An abandoned mine discharge on the Monongahela River caused a bright orange plume of pollution but didn’t impact public water supplies. The first phase, an Initial Watershed Assessment (IWA) was completed in February 2012. DEP has developed a supplement to the MS4 Requirements Tab… The three sisters bridges stand out in the city of bridges. Pollutant Reduction Plan Instructions(PDF) TMDL Plan Instructions(PDF) To assist MS4s with understanding their obligations regarding impaired waters, DEP has prepared an MS4 Requirements Table. The group’s regional director, Ashleigh Deemer, said Pennsylvania companies top the list. Filter. https://bit.ly/3nE9bFi U.S. Steel says soot pollution levels declined significantly when traffic … Clearly, it is cheaper to prevent pollution than to clean up after the fact.”. PITTSBURGH – A wrongful termination suit from a man who claims he was fired from a water and sewer authority when he refused to dump raw sewage into the Monongahela River is the burden of the West Elizabeth Sanitary Authority, according to Union Township. PennEnvironment notes in the report that the group is concerned about the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to the EPA, which could cripple an already inefficient clean water enforcement system. EPA Must Act Now. ... Over the last 40 years the Cheat has faced significant pollution from mine runoff and blowouts. The decision lays the foundation for requiring a wastewater scrubber system and limiting water pollution from the power plant. About 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, Donora was founded by industrialists who saw the location as ideal for metal mills—close to railroads and the barge traffic of the Monongahela River. “We’re here overlooking the Mon River for one simple reason,” she said, gesturing to the water behind her, swelling with falling rain. Ohio River-Wikipedia 10 of those occasions, they poured more than 500% of their permitted limits for zinc, aluminum, nitrites, styrene, and xylene into the Monongahela . An abandoned mine discharge on the Monongahela River caused a bright orange plume of pollution but didn’t impact public water supplies. (Photo: Jenny Tabrum / flickr), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). Waters from the Cheat support life all along the 162 miles the water travels to the Monongahela River. Of over 500 industrial facilities studied nationwide, only six facilities surpassed Eastman Chemical and SCI Graterford–three facilities in Arkansas and one each in California, Colorado and Ohio. Throughout the watershed planning … Thomas et al. Some communities want to fight it. Dissolved-solids concentrations have decreased by 2 percent in the Allegheny River and by 6 percent in the Monongahela River. The first phase of the legal proceedings involves only the sulfate and total dissolved solids limits. Power Plant Ordered to Stop Polluting the Monongahela River After 40 years without effective pollution controls, a scrubbing system was recently installed at the Hatfield’s Ferry power plant in Masontown, Penn., limiting the amount of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants the plant pumps into the air. Our rivers are literally and figuratively tied to our regional identity. The Mon River was nearly dead of life from steel mill and other pollution in the 1960s. Pennsylvania is on the cusp of a solar energy boom. It threatens aquatic life, endangers people taking part in river recreation and — perhaps most critically — creates water unfit for human consumption. “That is the second highest number of exceedances in the country, second only to Texas.”. Since 2008, the river has Historically, the Monongahela River once supported an abundant and valuable fishery resource. The Monongahela River (/ m ə ˌ n ɒ ŋ ɡ ə ˈ h iː l ə / mə-NONG-gə-HEE-lə, /-ˈ h eɪ-/-⁠ HAY-) —often referred to locally as the Mon (/ m ɒ n /)—is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. There it joins with the Alleghany River to eventually form the Ohio River. The wastewater produced at Hatfield’s Ferry includes mercury, arsenic, selenium, and other toxic metals as well as salts and dissolved solids. 0 Star This. Monongahela River Basin. But four years later, one environmental group is worried that industrial pollution threatens to make the Mon–and other Pennsylvania rivers–impaired again. Eastman Chemical Resins, on the banks of the Mon and upstream from Pittsburgh, is identified as the second worst with 72 exceedances over its federal permit limit in less than two years. “Climate action plans from across the world collectively send the message that fossil fuels are no longer blue chip investments.”, EPA Administrator Visits California's Central Valley, Until the Earth Thrives, We Will Never Rest, Court Denies Permit to Mine That Would Damage Tribe’s Namesake River, You’ve Probably Never Heard of This DOJ Division, but It’s Key to Rebuilding Our Environmental Policy, Government Funding Bill Will Pave the Way for More Ambitious Environmental Agenda. Monongahela River Basin. Natural gas extraction, irresponsible development, and industrial waste are all contributing to serious problems in rivers like the Monongahela, Ohio, and Allegheny. Lachner (l), in his general overview of the ----- In 1995, the Monongahela River Valley’s air was among the most polluted in the United States. Three rivers, the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio, cross through Pittsburgh’s metropolitan area. UNIONTOWN – The district attorneys for Fayette and Washington counties announced Thursday afternoon that the Belle Vernon Municipal Authority and a local landfill have 90 days to work out a It is 128 miles long with a drainage basin of 7,340 square miles. HUC ... industrial and municipal pollution, , and land usedeep well gas development are currently some of the principal water quality concerns in the watershed. Its geographic location and natural resource endowments made it an ideal home for the industries that inevitably created the pollution problem. This collection of municipalities, about 10 miles southeast of … Rather, they are two essential elements that together foster healthy communities. Watershed pollution in Appalachia, much of which has been caused by coal mining, is an ongoing environmental hazard that mimics the threat steel once posed to big cities on the Ohio. After 40 years without effective pollution controls, a scrubbing system was recently installed at the Hatfield’s Ferry power plant in Masontown, Penn., limiting the amount of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants the plant pumps into the air. The Table consists of two parts – one for Municipal MS4s (PDF) and one for Non-Municipal MS4s (PDF). The Ohio River is a lot cleaner than it used to be. “We should feel safe and comfortable in our rivers. Waters from the Cheat support life all along the 162 miles the water travels to the Monongahela River. The report identifies 10 Pennsylvania companies responsible for the most water pollution. Earthjustice and its clients are defending protective limits for sulfate and total dissolved solids in the discharge permit for Hatfield’s Ferry and are challenging the failure to impose limits on metals such as arsenic and selenium. Adelina is currently reporting for 90.5 WESA in Pittsburgh. On the shores of the Mon River in the South Side on Tuesday, representatives from environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment gathered with Allegheny County Councilwoman Anita Prizio and Pittsburgh City Councilwoman-Elect Erika Strassburger, who previously worked for the statewide group. Three rivers, the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio, cross through Pittsburgh’s metropolitan area. Pennsylvania is no exception,” said Ashleigh Deemer, of Penn Environment. “Companies across the country are regularly exceeding their allowable pollution limits. Sixty years ago, the nation's worst air pollution disaster occurred in the Monongahela River valley town of Donora. “We’ve found that industrial facilities dumped excessive pollution into Pennsylvania waterways 633 times,” she explained. Another 10 instances went over by more than 500 percent, exposing the Mon River to chemicals including zinc, aluminum and nitrate. Although the Monongahela River was nearly dead in the 1960s it has improved to the point of supporting over 70 species of fish, including a much-improved sauger and smallmouth bass fishery. The Mon River was classified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as impaired, or too contaminated to drink, in 2002. The Monongahela River originates in north-central West Virginia and flows north through south-western Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh where it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River. Unfortunately, that’s not the case … and a lot of that is due to the industrial pollution that flows illegally into our rivers every year.”. "U.S. Steel says significant declines of soot in the Monongahela River Valley last spring were the result of reduced vehicle emissions during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order." See also the MS4 Requirements Table Instructions(PDF) for understanding and using the Table and for methods to provide comments. WARNING DETECTION SYSTEM ON THE ALLEGHENY AND MONONGAHELA RIVERS IN PENNSYLVANIA Jerry G. Schulte Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission Cincinnati, Ohio INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) is an interstate water pollution control agency created in 1948 to monitor and abate water pollution in the Ohio River Basin. What was described as a killer fog blanketed this small company town in 1948. But many people in nearby communities are still feeling the effects — and worrying about their health. The Monongahela River basin has been severely polluted by drainage from coal mining activity. She has also reported for the Beckley Register-Herald in West Virginia and 100 Days in Appalachia. Historically, the Monongahela River once supported an abundant and valuable fishery resource. “State and federal officials must tighten enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Monongahela River basin (PFEB 1972) and concomitant improvements in water quality. (412) 697-2933, A new report reveals that industrial facilities in Pennsylvania are among the top polluters of United States rivers, including a chemical company just 16 miles outside of Pittsburgh. The Monongahela River originates in north-central West Virginia and flows north through south-western Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh where it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River. 67 Bedford SquarePittsburgh, PA 15203 The state’s top violator, according to the report, is SCI Graterford STP, a correctional facility in Montgomery County north of Philadelphia. The first phase, an Initial Watershed Assessment (IWA) was completed in February 2012. The river caught fire in 1968 due to contamination. Counties Get $6M to Help Reduce Pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. Of those exceedances, half were 100 percent more than Eastman Chemical’s permit allows. The Monongahela River Watershed Assessment is a two phase study process that will result in a Watershed Plan for the Monongahela basin. Despite efforts to stem the overflow, water carried thousands of gallons to downtown Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela meets the Allegheny to form the Ohio River, and beyond. The Monongahela River ( mə-NONG-gə-HEE-lə, -HAY-lə) — often referred to locally as the Mon — is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, which flows from south to north. On 10 of those occasions, they poured more than 500 percent of their permitted limits for zinc, aluminum, nitrites, styrene, and xylene into the Monongahela River. The Mon River was classified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as impaired, or too contaminated to drink, in 2002. Pennsylvania facilities are among the top 8 river polluters in a list of more than 500 in the nation. The impairments were documented during biological surveys of the aquatic life present in the watershed (1998 and 2002). 10). If Allegheny is ordered to comply, the company will need to install pollution controls that eliminate the discharge of heavy metals as well. Read More: Monongahela River Levels of toxic chemicals in our waters are at times so high that our rivers are too dangerous to swim in, and our waters so contaminated that people cannot drink from them. (CWF) and a tributary of Indian Creek, the Youghiogheny River, and the greater Monongahela River Basin, Fayette County (Figure 1.). Monongahela River pollution update: Union Township says wrongful termination suit is purview of West Elizabeth Sanitary Authority The company claimed that it was acceptable to foul the river because the scrubber system at Hatfield’s Ferry should be considered an existing source of pollution rather than a “new discharger.” Chief Judge Thomas W. Renwand rejected the company’s argument this week, deciding in favor of our clients. “We shouldn’t have to choose between air that is safe to breathe and water that is safe to drink,” said Dillen. Lachner (l), in his general overview of the ----- Massive pollution has characterized the river. The Fight for Climate Action Continues as the U.S. Withdraws from Paris Agreement, Statement from Earthjustice on Hurricane Delta, Fighting the Good Fight to Protect the Great Lakes, Earthjustice Felicita A Joe Biden Y Kamala Harris En Su Ceremonia de Juramentación, Earthjustice Congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris As Our Country Enters a New Administration. Having rebounded from the deadly effects of abandoned mine drainage and unchecked pollution, the Monongahela River carves out a 7,340 square-mile watershed containing woodlands, rolling farmland, active and reclaimed coal mines, and towns rich in the history of the Industrial Revolution. The city’s dark past has been described as a cautionary tale for cities lacking environmental control. The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the US based on 2009 and 2010 data although the more industrial and regional West Virginia/Pennsylvania tributary, Monongahela River, ranked behind 16 other American rivers for water pollution at number 17. Eastman Chemical Resins, Inc., located along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, upriver from Pittsburgh, exceeded its permitted pollution limits on 72 occasions. Brief history of the pollution of The Monongahela River and how it is still being polluted today despite the regulations put in place. 1 99 1, Argent et al. The Mon might be one of the country`s most endangered rivers, according to scientists studying the river. The Monongahela River basin has been severely polluted by drainage from coal mining activity. EPA data suggest that the prison exposed the Wilson River to fecal matter, ammonia and other pollutants 80 times in less than two years. PennEnvironment lists the top 10 industrial polluters to Pennsylvania’s rivers. Two county district attorneys have referred their concerns over pollution to the Monongahela River to the state Attorney General’s Office for further investigation. It is 128 miles long with a drainage basin of 7,340 square miles. Brief history of the pollution of the Monongahela River and how it is still being polluted today despite the regulations put in place. . Crisis management and plans are most efficiently constructed by joining forces, pooling manpower, equipment resources, capabilities and expertise within a formalized organization - thus the birth of Three Rivers Pollution Response Council, Inc. We are located in the Pittsburgh Port of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Eighth District and EPA’s Region III. RGGI, Behind the Rhetoric: What We Know About the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Groups Sue EPA over Coal Plant Air Pollution in Indiana County, With Biden vow to rejoin Paris Agreement, cities and states look forward to federal partnership on climate, Environmentalists see opportunity for Pennsylvania legislature in 2021, State Gives $2.5 Million to Pitt to Study Health Impacts of Fracking, Study: Pa. Heart Failure Patients Near Fracking More Likely to be Hospitalized, State Gives $34 Million for Water Cleanup, Groups Look to Protect Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie Watershed with Common Goals, Central Pa. Pollution Water. “This decision by Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board is important because it affirms that Hatfield’s Ferry has to meet all necessary limits to protect water quality in the river.”. Not just at the Point, where the dark, silty Mon -- lifeblood to heavy industry -- merges with the clearer Allegheny. But the plant’s failure to install a scrubbing system for its discharged wastewater means that the dangerous pollutants that formerly fouled the air are now being dumped into the Monongahela River, a drinking water source for more than 350,000 people living south of Pittsburgh. “We should not be fearful of going in the water and drinking the water,” Strassburger said. The EPA’s 1972 Clean Water Act established a permit system for industrial pollution, setting limits for individual facilities. Örtlich ist er auch unter der Bezeichnung the Mon bekannt. The IWA identifies current existing conditions within the watershed and details the major water resource problems of the watershed. Buffalo River is a holding basin for industrial and municipal waste. Eastman Chemical Resins, Inc., located upriver from Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, exceeded its permitted pollution limits 72 times in 21 months.

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