When you turn on your tap or take your family to swim in a local river, you expect clean, safe water. But the reality facing Pennsylvania’s waterways tells a more complex story. The recently released “2024 State of Our Waters” report from Three Rivers Waterkeeper paints a sobering picture of our region’s water health – one that demands our immediate attention and action.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper, founded in 2009, has been the guardian angel of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers for over 15 years. Their 2024 report covers an intensive year of monitoring from July 2024 to July 2025, and the numbers are staggering: 388 trees planted, 665 hours of river patrols, 18 pollution reports submitted, 288 water samples analyzed, and 150,000 pounds of debris cleaned from our waterways. These aren’t just statistics – they represent thousands of hours of dedicated work protecting the water we all depend on.
The monitoring efforts revealed troubling patterns across our region’s watersheds. Through their baseline monitoring program, researchers collected 93 water samples at 54 locations, using both handheld meters and sophisticated lab analysis. What they found should concern every Pennsylvania resident: widespread exceedances of critical parameters including chloride, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH levels, conductivity, and salinity across the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio River watersheds. These exceedances aren’t isolated incidents – they represent systemic challenges threatening our water security.
Perhaps most alarming is the discovery of PFAS contamination throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally, PFAS compounds have been linked to serious health issues including cancer, liver damage, and immune system problems. The 2024 sampling effort found PFAS contamination in 29 out of 39 baseline samples, with Montour Run in the Ohio River Watershed recording the highest detected level at 134.9 parts per trillion. When you consider that some health advisories recommend levels as low as 4 ppt, these findings are deeply concerning.
The report also documents ongoing emergency response efforts that highlight the persistent threats facing our waterways. The East Palestine train derailment continues to cast a shadow over regional water quality, with monitoring showing high levels of oil and grease remaining in Sulphur Run despite the passage of time. Meanwhile, the “Tar Beach” area along the Allegheny River continues to leak petrochemical contamination, with sediment tests revealing an astounding 69,700 mg/L of oil and grease – levels that boggle the mind and demand immediate remediation.
Industrial compliance failures represent another critical challenge documented in the report. An analysis of 69 facilities with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits revealed shocking violation rates: 72% of facilities in the Allegheny watershed, 91% in the Monongahela watershed, and 75% in the Ohio River watershed violated the Clean Water Act within a three-year period. Even more troubling, these 278 notices of violation resulted in only 21 formal enforcement actions – a compliance rate that suggests our regulatory system isn’t working as intended.
Recreational water safety presents immediate risks to families across the region. The organization’s Swim Guide monitoring program tested 23 recreational sites weekly from mid-May to mid-October, collecting 112 samples for E. coli bacteria. The results were sobering: only 51% of samples passed safety standards, meaning nearly half the time, these popular swimming spots posed potential health risks to visitors. Girty’s Run consistently failed testing, highlighting locations that families should avoid for recreational activities.
Beyond chemical contamination, the region faces a mounting plastics crisis that often goes unnoticed. Three Rivers Waterkeeper’s focus on pre-production plastic pellets, known as “nurdles,” revealed significant quantities of these tiny plastic particles throughout Southwest Pennsylvania’s waterways. These pellets, which escape during manufacturing and transport, eventually break down into microplastics that enter our food chain and pose unknown long-term health risks to both humans and wildlife.
The innovative deployment of a continuous monitoring buoy on the Beaver River in January 2025 represents a technological leap forward in water quality surveillance. This sophisticated system monitors temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll, phycocyanins, salinity, and total dissolved solids in real-time, providing unprecedented insight into daily water quality fluctuations. This kind of continuous data helps identify pollution sources more quickly and holds polluters accountable with timestamp precision.
Despite these challenges, the report also highlights hope through community action and stewardship. The organization planted 388 flood-resistant trees on river deltas to prevent erosion, engaged over 150 volunteers in cleanup efforts, and partnered with Allegheny CleanWays to explore innovative trash-trapping technology. These efforts prove that dedicated citizens can make a meaningful difference in protecting our shared water resources.
Looking forward, Three Rivers Waterkeeper’s ambitious goals include expanding water quality sampling, increasing educational outreach, and continuing to hold polluters accountable through rigorous monitoring and reporting. They’re also fundraising for a new, larger patrol boat to enhance their monitoring capabilities and educational programs. Their work reminds us that clean water isn’t a given – it requires constant vigilance, scientific rigor, and community commitment to protect this most precious resource for future generations.
Read the full 2024 State of Our Waters report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zgtinHL9gmBzX5NroBGMSRWjdqXwEABy/view
H2O Water Network is committed to advancing water equity and infrastructure improvements across our region. Learn more about our work protecting Pennsylvania’s water resources and join our mission to ensure clean, safe water for all communities.
