Report cites water quality issues in hundreds of miles of Allegheny, Westmoreland waterways

Jan. 20—Sections of Loyalhanna Creek and several of its tributaries, as well some streams in Salem, are among bodies of water in Westmoreland County that are considered impaired for various uses, according to a new statewide integrated water quality report from the Department of Environmental Protection.

In neighboring Allegheny County, Glade Run and Squaw Run in Fox Chapel are listed as impaired for recreational use because of pathogens.

The draft version of the report updates findings from 2020. It identifies 27,886 miles of streams across the state — about a third of Pennsylvania's total stream miles — that have impaired water quality, up from 25,468 miles reported two years ago.

Not all state streams have been assessed for water quality standards related to aquatic life, recreation, fish consumption or drinking water supply.

Abandoned mine runoff is the primary cause of water quality issues in Pennsylvania, impairing 7,356 miles of streams, according to the report. Agricultural runoff impairs 6,430 miles of streams and stormwater runoff impacts 3,502 miles.

The report cites 915 miles of impaired streams in Allegheny County, representing nearly 67% of total stream miles in that county.

Of the Allegheny County streams that have been assessed, 533 miles have attained quality standards for aquatic life, 2 miles for fish consumption, 51 miles for water supply and 106 miles for recreation. Respective impairment totals are 1,800 miles, 121 miles, 19 miles and 211 miles.

In Westmoreland County, 732 miles of impaired streams have been documented, representing almost 33% of the total.

------

Related:

—Nearly 28,000 miles of Pennsylvania's streams are impaired by pollution, report finds

------

Assessed Westmoreland County streams broken down by category include: aquatic life — 1,486 miles attained, 1,209 miles impaired; fish consumption — 24 miles attained, 7 miles impaired; recreation — 395 miles attained, 69 miles impaired. The study notes 122 miles of Westmoreland County streams that have attained standards for water supply but does not list impairments in that category.

The report's findings are no surprise to area organizations that have been working to improve stream quality.

"There are only eight counties in the state that have over 2,000 miles of streams, and we are one of them," said Chelsea Walker, watershed program manager for the Westmoreland Conservation District. "The need for clean and sustainable water resources is pressing."

About 14% of the county's waterways are impacted by acid mine drainage, Walker said.

"Industry and agriculture can also create pollution that can contaminate or degrade water resources," she said. "Stormwater runoff from these activities can carry oil, metals and sediment to our waterways. These pollutants have the potential to contaminate drinking water and harm aquatic life."

The conservation district implements state programs to minimize the sediment that reaches waterways, Walker said.

"WCD has many partners that we are working with to improve impaired miles of streams, but this is not going to happen overnight," she said.

The state report lists sections of several Loyalhanna tributaries in the Ligonier area — Mill Creek, Coalpit Run, Twomile Run and unnamed tributaries to Twomile Run — that are impaired for recreational use immediately upstream from the creek because of unspecified pathogens.

A section of Loyalhanna Creek, from the area of Darlington Road to the convergence with Linn Run, has been downgraded from attaining to impaired for recreational use, also attributed to pathogens.

As part of its recently completed Priority Assessment and Restoration Plan, the Loyalhanna Watershed Association determined that section of the creek is being affected by nutrient enrichment.

"We identified the potential cause of this from agricultural operations farther upstream, with the restoration strategy of working with landowners to install better management practices on active farms," said Susan Huba, executive director of the watershed association. Such practices could include improved fencing or stream crossings for livestock and enhanced buffer areas along waterways.

Mill Creek has been affected by sediment runoff, bank erosion and failing septic systems farther upstream, Huba noted. The watershed association plans to use a $233,000 state Growing Greener Watershed Protection Grant over the next three years to complete three stream bank restoration projects along Mill Creek, including the area near the confluence with the Loyalhanna.

Huba said the association also supports a plan by Ligonier Township to develop a wastewater treatment plan for the area.

"This will go far in restoring this section of Mill Creek," she said.

Other problems that need to be addressed in the watershed are sedimentation along Coalpit Run and likely nutrient loading from agricultural and sewage sources along Twomile Run, she said.

In Salem, sections of Crooked Run and a tributary to Beaver Run have pathogen-based recreational impairments while another Beaver Run tributary has a newly assessed aquatic life impairment related to acid mine drainage.

According to the state assessment of public lakes in Westmoreland County, Beaver Run, Loyalhanna Reservoir and Donegal Lake are impaired for aquatic life. Beaver Run also is impaired for fish consumption.

All of those lakes meet quality standards for drinking water supply and recreation. However, fishing, swimming and boating are prohibited at Beaver Run Reservoir, which provides drinking water to more than 20 communities served by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.

There was some good news in the state report for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. It saw the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek in Northwestern Pennsylvania removed from the list of impaired streams, after decades of work with the state and partner organizations to improve its water quality.

Because of the state's extensive mining history, abandoned mine drainage will continue to be a major water quality issue, noted Jenifer Christman, vice president of water conservation for the conservancy.

"Abandoned mine drainage will never go away," she said. "That's always something Pennsylvania has to deal with."

With tools such as the state water quality report, she said, "We at least know where to start."

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .