Reports
New Resource: A State-by-State Guide to the Contaminants Slipping Through Our Water Rules
The Water Center at Penn has released a new state-by-state report and interactive StoryMap on contaminants of emerging concern in U.S. drinking water.
Read MoreWhen the Water Runs Orange: Cleaning Up Mine Drainage Is Also Bringing People Back
New University of Pittsburgh research shows that restoring rivers polluted by acid mine drainage helps Pennsylvania coal communities hold onto residents, and costs less than traditional economic incentives.
Read MoreThe Contaminants Your Water Rules Haven’t Caught Up To Yet
A July 2026 report from The Water Center at Penn shows how far U.S. drinking water rules lag behind the science on contaminants of emerging concern, and what it means for Pennsylvania.
Read MoreWhat a Healthy River Is Worth: The Economic Case for Protecting Our Watersheds
A new EPA fact sheet puts hard numbers on what healthy watersheds are worth, from billions in avoided water treatment costs to flood protection, jobs, and home values. Protecting them is the bargain of the century.
Read MoreNew Study Finds Lingering Immune Changes in East Palestine Residents After Train Derailment
More than three years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, residents along the Pennsylvania-Ohio border are still asking the same question: what did that disaster do to our bodies? A new peer-reviewed study published this month in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology offers some of the clearest answers…
Read MoreKey Flood Preparedness Lessons from Hurricane Helene
Learn vital lessons from Hurricane Helene to improve flood preparedness and response in the Upper Ohio River Basin. Download the full report today.
Read MorePartner Highlight: How the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy Is Building the First Firefly Inventory in Pennsylvania
A Partner Highlight from the H2O Water Network Introduction by John Detisch, H2O Water Network One of the things I love most about the H2O Water Network is the chance to spotlight the incredible work happening across our partner organizations. Today I’m excited to share a story from John Wenzel and the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy…
Read MoreYour Voice Shaped Our 2026 Roadmap
Assessment Results & What’s Next You took time to share your experiences. Your challenges. Your questions about water in your community. We’ve been listening. The H2O Headwaters to the Ohio Water Network’s Watershed Assessment gave us something invaluable: a clearer picture of what communities across the region are actually facing. Not assumptions. Not guesses. Real…
Read MoreSalt in the Watershed: A Local Wake-Up Call for Winter Maintenance
Winter makes people do strange things. Like dumping industrial amounts of salt onto pavement and then acting surprised when nearby streams start tasting like a pretzel. A recent TribLive / Tribune-Review article by Megan Trotter reports that new sampling by Stroud Water Research Center found elevated chloride levels in parts of Washington County, including areas…
Read MoreTroubled Waters: Three Rivers Waterkeeper Unveils PFAS and NPDES Enforcement Reports
The team at Three Rivers Waterkeeper (3RWK) has just released two critical reports uncovering urgent water quality issues across Southwest Pennsylvania—and the findings are sobering. 1. PFAS Report: PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a growing threat to human and environmental health. 3RWK conducted a baseline sampling across Pittsburgh’s rivers and tributaries, aiming to understand…
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