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 PFAS levels and identify potential pollution sources. The results? Some locations showed significantly elevated PFAS concentrations, signaling likely upstream dischargers and prompting the need for immediate public and regulatory attention.
2. NPDES Compliance and Enforcement Report:
3RWK also dug deep into publicly available state and federal data to evaluate how well industrial polluters are complying with the Clean Water Act under the NPDES permit system. The report paints a troubling picture: widespread noncompliance and a lack of meaningful enforcement—especially in the Monongahela River Valley. The data suggests that polluters are operating with few consequences, further burdening already stressed waterways.
At the H2O Water Network, we know that good data leads to better policy—and that water justice starts with accountability. These reports offer a call to action for all of us: to monitor, to advocate, and to demand that our water laws work for people, not polluters.
Dive into the data yourself:
