Friend,

We saw around 5 inches of total snowfall accumulation in Pittsburgh and near record highs of temperature this February. Long term impacts to our climate has lately been on the minds of many. We hope to continue our work to reduce climate pollution and push for a more sustainable future with clean water for all. We hope you will join us to learn more about ways you can get involved in Climate Action. February highlights the power of collective action for positive change— whether it’s coming together to share resources and information, volunteering time, or using your voice to call out polluters and WIN! We are looking forward to seeing you out on the water or at our events in March.

Yours for clean water,

Jess Friss

Director of Community Programs

Support Clean Water For All

Upcoming Events

3/9 — Water Equity Summit | 9 am to 2 pm

Join the Southwestern PA Water Network at the Hosanna House for an event that will bring together experts, activists, and community members to discuss and address water equity issues. More information and registration here.

3/20 — Craft for Climate Action | 6:30 pm to 8 pm

Join Three Rivers Waterkeeper at for a a creative and fun night of screen printing, button making, and postcard writing for climate change and clean water. More information and registration here.

3/21 — Beaver Run Reservoir Community Meeting | 6 pm to 7 pm

Concerned residents are invited to join Three Rivers Waterkeeper, Protect PT, and Mountain Watershed Association at Allegheny Township Community Building for a second community meeting regarding the sale of fresh water from the Beaver Run Reservoir to the petrochemical industry. More information and registration here.

3/22 — World Water Day

World Water Day is celebrated yearly by the United Nations to raise awareness and action to address the water and sanitation crisis. This year’s theme is ‘Leveraging water for peace’ and you can learn more about World Water Day here.

3/28 — Environmental Justice Resource Fair | 6:30 pm to 8 pm

Visit with many community organizations at the Clairton High School to discover innovative ways to promote sustainability, advocate for a cleaner environment, and foster social equity. More information and registration here.

4/6 — Spring Watershed Ecology | 1 pm to 2:30 pm

Learn how to ID common plants and critters that can be found in or near rivers and streams in the early spring, and those specific to Fall Run. We will talk about monitoring for pollution in our waterways and how that can impact the flora and fauna in our rivers and streams. Register here to join us!

Interested in learning how to be a Water Advocate? This spring we will be at two Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh locations, Mount Washington (April 24th) and Carrick (May 20th), with Watersheds of South Pittsburgh to talk about water issues in your community and how to advocate for clean water! Mark your calendars and keep an eye out for more information.

In February, our team spent 20 hours on the water dedicated to water sampling, patrolling, and following up on our ongoing targeted monitoring project. We are definitely looking forward to the warm weather that Spring promises to bring.

During one of our regular Nurdle Patrols with Mountain Watershed Association, we noticed that the recent high waters had deposited nurdles along the shoreline of the Ohio River in piles of river drift. We gathered 6 samples within a mile of the initial find and invited volunteers to help sort nurdles from the drift. After hours of painstaking work, we found a total of 768 nurdles sorted out of samples covering only 11 square feet of riverbank. This has further strengthened our Nurdle Patrol's resolve to look into plastic pellet sources in the region, including commercial users, shippers and producers of plastics in our watersheds.

Our team had a great time at two outreach events this month! Koa and Hannah met with families and nature lovers at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Super Science Saturday. We shared information about native flora and fauna around our waterways and how to help protect them! Additionally, Sierra and Jess were at Penn’s Woods West chapter of Trout Unlimited’s Cabin Fever to talk with avid anglers about how we can work together, and we shared our wildlife stories.

Our Executive Director, Heather, presented at the 145th Sustainability Salon on our long-term work to protect our region’s watershed and hold polluters accountable. The Sustainability Salon is an educational forum and conference on environmental topics. You can learn more about upcoming Sustainability Salons here.

Last week, we were joined by 12 volunteers in our office to help us find and sort nurdles from the soil samples we took along the Ohio River. These volunteers put in 21 total hours to help us sort 768 nurdles. We are grateful for our volunteers who donate their time to help us in our mission! Learn about ways to volunteer here.

This month, we held our first Beaver Run Reservoir Community Meeting with our partners, Protect PT and Mountain Watershed Association. We shared knowledge and listened to community concerns over the low water levels of the Beaver Run Reservoir and the sale of the public drinking water source to the petrochemical industry. If your water provider is the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County then we encourage you to join us at the second meeting on March 21st.

Hannah and Sierra canvassed in Clairton this month with other members of the Mon Valley Environmental Justice Table to share information about our upcoming event in March. Join us at Clairton High School on March 28th for an Environmental Justice Resource Fair!

Community Wins

Read about some of the wins we’ve had based on our advocacy!

Proposed Gas Line Permit Withdrawn

CNX Midstream proposed a Trunkline Project near the Beaver Run Reservoir that would transport hazardous and radioactive oil and gas waste. This project had the potential to impact wetlands, Beaver Run, the Kiskiminetas River, critical habitat for threatened and endangered species and contaminate drinking water sources. 3RWK submitted a comment to the PA DEP outlining 10 major areas of concern that would lead to irreversible damage to our natural resources. CNX Midstream’s permit for this project was withdrawn at the end of February.

📢 Join us in the fight to defend our climate! 📢

Advocacy Strength in Numbers

Read about some of the coalition letters and comments we signed onto!

A letter that Three Rivers Waterkeeper signed onto was sent to Governor Josh Shapiro to express a concerns over his recently announced statewide initiative: Pennsylvania Gets It Done: A Ten-Year Strategic Plan for Economic Development in Pennsylvania. These concerns, outlined in the final letter here, speak of the need for sustainable practices and industries in order to protect our public health, a clean environment, and a stable climate.
Coalition members joined PennEnvironment in signing onto a letter that call on PA State Representatives and Senators to support legislation to support PA Appliance Efficiency Standards energy efficiency and water conservation standards (HB 1615 and SB 755).
During President Biden’s visit to East Palestine, we joined with Toxic-Free Future and others to send a letter to President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan that featured recommendations for East Palestine and nearby communities.
Our partner, Mountain Watershed Association have long since been concerned with the impacts of the hazardous waste facility operated by MAX Environmental Technologies, Inc. in Yukon, PA. We signed onto their comment to the PA DEP about their Draft Guidance Manual for Permitting of New Commercial Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal Facilities.
In collaboration with Climate Action Campaign and other organizations, a letter to the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy was sent regarding the 45V clean hydrogen production tax credit. The basis for this letter was to address concerns with the broad loopholes that could continue to exacerbate the climate crisis.
On January 26, 2024, EPA proposed a new regulation under the Clean Air Act which will, for the first time, impose an annual charge on the U.S. fossil industry’s methane emissions that exceed more than 25,000 tons of CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gasses per year. We joined with Waterkeeper Alliance and other Waterkeeper groups on a Community Letter to the U.S. EPA in support of the draft Waste Emissions Charge rule under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. This letter will be sent in March!

Take Action!

Learn about some of the ways you can get involved!

East Palestine Village Council is about to make a decision that could negatively impact the entire Ohio River Valley and we need YOUR help to stop it from happening! They are currently considering accepting "treated" wastewater from Norfolk Southern's "temporary" wastewater treatment facility that was set up just months after the train derailment that exposed community members to vinyl chloride, benzene, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and more. If they accept the wastewater for treatment, the water will be discharged into Leslie Run, which flows into Little Beaver Creek and, ultimately, into the Ohio River. The Ohio River Basin is a drinking source for five million people and a recreational source for 30 million people. We can't let the possibility of additional pollutants entering our waterways happen. Please sign, share and help us protect the Ohio River Valley!

Sign the Petition!

#RunForAReason with us!

Three Rivers Waterkeeper is an official charity with the Pittsburgh Marathon. If you’re running you can choose to Run for a Reason and raise money for Three Rivers Waterkeeper. The benefits:

Give your run the chance to empower change
Get your registration fee refunded by reaching a fundraising goal
Win prizes from Three Rivers Waterkeeper for reaching fundraising goals

Learn more on the Pittsburgh Marathon’s website here.

You can also directly support those who have picked Three Rivers Waterkeeper as their charity organization. The FedEx Pittsburgh Marathon Relay is happening on May 5th, and we have a team running! Support their run and our mission to protect our waterways by donating to the team here.

Donate Here

Swimmable. Fishable. Drinkable.

3rwk.org | Support Clean Water

800 Vinial Street, Suite B314 Pittsburgh, PA 15212

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