Innovating for a More Equitable and Sustainable Water Future
Welcome to the SWPA Water Network, a coalition of organizations working to improve water quality and access in the Upper Ohio River Basin. Our mission is to promote sustainable water management practices and ensure that everyone in the region has access to clean, safe, and affordable water. With a focus on collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and community engagement, we are working to address the key water-related challenges facing our region, from climate change and stormwater runoff to agricultural practices and public awareness. Join us in our efforts to protect and preserve our most vital natural resource - water.
OUR LATEST NEWS
Three Rivers Waterkeeper Packs September With Pollution-Spotting Trainings
If your volunteers have ever floated past something on the river and wondered whether it was worth reporting, Three Rivers Waterkeeper is spending September teaching…
While Renewables Languish, Pennsylvania Pays Millions to Coal Waste Companies
New reporting digs into a question that sits close to home for every group working below a culm pile: Pennsylvania sends hundreds of millions of…
EPA Opens $10.8 Million for Water Workforce Training Programs
Every watershed group knows the story: the local water plant operator is a few years from retirement and nobody is lined up to replace them.…
Good News on the Mon: A New Study Shows the Mine Drainage Is Easing
For generations, acid mine drainage has been the defining wound of the Monongahela. A new study using more than a decade of independent monitoring data…
Never Paddled Before? A Pittsburgh Sojourn on September 26 Is Built for You
Kayaks and Kamraderie brings first-time paddlers onto the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh on September 26, with lunch aboard a mobile programming barge. A perfect on-ramp for future watershed volunteers.
Up to $65,000 Per Project: DEP’s Environmental Education Grants Are Open Again
Pennsylvania DEP opened a new round of Environmental Education Grants in August 2026, with roughly $1 million available in three tiers. Watershed groups, schools, and conservation districts are all eligible.
The Upper Allegheny Needs 120 Volunteers for September’s River Roundup
The Allegheny River Cleanup Crew is recruiting about 40 volunteers a day for its September 17 to 19 River Roundup in Warren County. Last year nearly 200 volunteers pulled 5,700 pounds of scrap metal from the river.
Lend a Hand on the Three Rivers Water Trail October 6
Friends of the Riverfront hosts a volunteer care day October 6 on the Three Rivers Water Trail, the network of more than 34 public launches along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio.
Two Inches in an Hour: September Opens With Flash Floods Across Eight Counties
September 3 storms flooded Route 51, stranded concertgoers at Star Lake, and put eight southwestern PA counties under flash flood warnings, weeks after the region’s wettest August since 1871.
Longwall Mining Is Coming for Four Gas Pipelines in Washington County. Comments Are Due October 5
DEP restarted public comment on MarkWest’s plan to daylight four gas pipelines ahead of longwall coal mining in West Finley Township, Washington County. Comments on the Chapter 105 permit are due October 5, 2026.
EPA Reopens the Fight Over Which Streams Get Federal Protection
EPA and the Army Corps reopened public comment September 4 on the definition of waters of the United States. Headwater streams across PA, WV, and OH are at stake, and the comment window is only 30 days.
A $13 Billion Power Plant Wants 30 Million Gallons a Day From the Mon
NextEra’s proposed 3.75 GW gas plant in rural Fayette County would draw an estimated 30 million gallons a day from the Monongahela River. We ran the numbers against actual river flow data, and looked past the headline figures on jobs and investment too.
