Pollution in Mon River and other Tribuaries

2002-The Mon River was classified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as impaired, or too contaminated to drink. That status remained until 12 years later in 2014, when the DEP declared that the river's sulfate levels had dropped to acceptable levels.

2016-2017-Industrial facilities across the country exceeded federal water pollution levels 8,100 times between January 2016 and September 2017, according to a PennEnvironment report."Approximately 40 percent of all major industrial facilities-more than 1,100 in total-reported exceeding their pollution limits at least once," the new report from PennEnvironment reads. They prepared their finding based their findings on compliance data from the EPA. Eastman Chemical Resins, on the banks of the Mon river, is identified as the 2nd worst with 72 exceedances over its federal permit limit in less than 2 years.Another 10 instances went over by more than 500 percent, according to the report, exposing the Mon River to chemicals including zinc, aluminum, nitrate.

2010-2019-Gary Kruppa of the Belle Vernon's Sewage treatment plant, recently discovered that naturally occurring radioactive material found in the Marcellus shale was making it from the the nearby Westmoreland landfill through the sewage treatment plant and into the Mon River. The landfill was sending more leachate than the plant was allowed to accept. And according to reports, he found out about 40 percent of the landfill's waste since 2010 had been solid oil and gas waste. The Belle Vernon Municipal Authority decided to stop accepting the leachate from the landfill because it is damaging to the biological sewage treatment process and causing the illegal discharge of poorly treated wastewater into the river. 

2016-2018- 2,100 gallons of brine went into an unnamed tributary to Enlow Fork and another spill involving 43 gallons of drilling mud into Boothe Run. CNX Gas Co. and CNX Midstream Partners are responsible for the pollution during a pipeline construction in East Finley Township.

2020-June-Ethylene glycol from an underground pipeline leaked into drinking water wells in Genesee Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania. 

Sources:

Allegheny Front-"New report finds industrial pollution flowing illegally into PA rivers" March 28th, 2018 Article

Observer Reporter-"NX pollution in Washington County results in $310 civil penalty" July 25, 2020 Article

State Impact Pennsylvania-"How did fracking contaminants end up in the Monongahela River? A loophole in the law might be to blame" September 11, 2019 Article

Nearby Greene County 

Water donations to help dozens of New Freeport residents.