In western Pennsylvania, a landfill discharges treated wastewater into Sewickley Creek, impacting water quality and local wildlife. This site has violated key environmental laws and is linked to increased radioactivity in creek sediment. Local researchers found contamination is connected to oil and gas waste. Residents have long voiced concerns about health risks, and recent water quality data shows significant impairment, prompting alarming warnings against fishing and swimming in the creek.
I wouldn't eat the fish. I wouldn't swim in the water," said John Stolz, a professor of environmental microbiology at Duquesne, who coauthored the study and has researched oil and gas waste in Pennsylvania for 15 years.
Pollution has taken a toll on the creek: Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University tested Max Environmental's outfall and found radioactivity in the sediment downstream of the discharge point was 1.4 times higher than upstream.
Warning! Hazardous Waste Discharge Point. Arsenic, lead, cyanide, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and more are permitted substances for discharge at this site.
Water quality data for Sewickley Creek from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that much of it is classified as 'impaired.'
Collection
[
|
...
]