Location(s)

We represent a watershed-focused, coalition-building initiative in the Middle Monongahela River Watershed. This highly industrialized watershed was populated well before there were any laws or even thoughts about sanitary sewage drains and water treatment plants. For many decades the Mon River was seen simply as a sink for industrial and residential waste. Today with much of the industry gone and because of the environmental-friendly laws of the 1970s, the river is experiencing a return to life.

In 1970 the EPA described the river as dead and it was the color of pale chartreuse. It is now a thriving warm-water fishery that contains over 70 different species of fish. As a result of having a cleaner river and the decline in industry, people have begun to see recreation as a possibility on the Mon River. There is now an opportunity for the development of a tourism-based economy using river recreation and our industrial heritage to draw people in. In an economy still depressed from the collapse of big steel, we stand to gain a great deal from harnessing the recreational potential of the Mon River.

One impediment to both recreational usage and economic growth is the aging water infrastructure. The prevalence of combined sewage overflows in our region is staggering. 1/6 of all CSOs in the US are in PA, of those 1/2 are in SW PA. So every time it rains (which is quite often) sewage pours into the river from CSOs. We also still have a lot of straight pipes lining the river and it's tributaries. No warnings are given and no one seems to even notice or care. In light of the Mon's long history of serious pollution, this hardly even registers in the public conscienceness.

Through education and outreach, our initiative aims to change things for the better. We will work to reduce the negative impacts to river health, increase recreational usage on the Mon and build heritage tourism across our region.