Posts by popemaster
Support Clean Water: Join the 9th Annual Headwaters Party on August 29
Join the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association for its 9th Annual Headwaters Party on August 29 at West Overton Village. Donate a basket, sponsor, or attend to support clean water.
Read MoreH2Ohio Rivers Program Puts $87,000 Into River Cleanups, Including the Ohio River
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced on July 28 that its H2Ohio Rivers Program has awarded nearly $87,000 in Healthy Rivers Livery Grants to twelve canoe and kayak liveries across the state, putting real money behind the volunteer river cleanups that many of these outfitters host every season. Each livery can receive up to…
Read MorePA Water Systems Untouched by Cyberattacks Hitting Other States
Drinking water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states, including Minnesota and Michigan, have been hit by cyberattacks in recent weeks, with suspicion falling on actors linked to Iran. Pennsylvania officials say the Commonwealth’s systems have so far been untouched, but they are not treating that as a reason to relax, according to WESA…
Read MorePittsburgh Water Expands Lead Line Replacement to Four More Neighborhoods
Pittsburgh Water is expanding its lead service line replacement program into four more neighborhoods: Highland Park, Shadyside, Bloomfield, and Lawrenceville. The new phase will replace 770 public and 840 private lead lines, with completion targeted for the end of 2027, WESA reported on August 5. The work is backed by $31.5 million from PENNVEST, Pennsylvania’s…
Read MorePA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Returns October 20 to 22
The Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference returns October 20 to 22, 2026, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey Area) in Grantville, just off I-81. This year’s theme is “Meeting the Challenge,” and registration is open now for attendees and exhibitors. Co-hosted every year by the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) and the…
Read MoreWatchdog Says PA DEP Is Falling Behind on Reporting Mine Damage to Streams
The Citizens Coal Council, a nonprofit based in Washington County, says Pennsylvania’s most important accounting of underground coal mining damage has taken a serious step backward. The group released an independent review of DEP’s latest Act 54 report, which covers mining impacts from 2018 to 2022, and concluded that it lacks meaningful analysis and contains…
Read MoreWait, You Need a License to Collect Stream Bugs in Pennsylvania?
File this one under things that surprised us. If you want to scoop a net through a Pennsylvania stream and count the mayfly larvae to check on the health of the water, the Commonwealth says you first need a fishing license and a scientific collector’s permit. Yes, really. Macroinvertebrates, the stream bugs, the caddisflies, stoneflies,…
Read MoreData Centers Are Coming to Pennsylvania. What Does That Mean for Our Water?
Data centers are the buildings behind the cloud, streaming, and the current wave of artificial intelligence. They are also some of the thirstiest facilities being built today, and Pennsylvania’s rivers and aquifers are squarely in their sights. Here is what that means for our water, and a free way to learn more this fall. You…
Read MoreOhio River Basin Alliance Summit Set for October: Proposals Due August 10
The Ohio River Basin Alliance’s 2026 Summit takes place October 14 to 16 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, bringing together watershed groups, agencies, and researchers from across the basin. Groups that want to present a project or facilitate a discussion have until August 10, 2026 to submit a session proposal, with acceptances…
Read MoreReporting: West Virginia’s Flood Prevention Plans Have Sat Unfunded for Two Decades
Mountain State Spotlight reports that July’s deadly flooding hit communities that state flood plans have flagged since 2004, while the Flood Resiliency Office created after the devastating 2016 floods has received minimal funding. A $50 million proposal from the state’s Rainy Day Fund was rejected in 2025, and this year’s legislative session allocated just $5…
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