High levels of E. coli found in popular Pittsburgh-area fishing spot, environmental group says
You may want to be careful before you play in Pine Creek along Route 8. Recent samples found high levels of the bacteria E. coli.
It's the stretch of the creek from the waterfall near the Burger King downstream toward Grant Avenue in Etna. It's a popular part of the creek for fishing because of its easy access.
"I don't want to be swimming in poop water," said Three Rivers Waterkeeper environmental scientist Koa Reitz. "I don't think other people want to be swimming in poop water."
The group Three Rivers Waterkeeper said it has recently been testing the water in the creek weekly. They found high levels of the bacteria that come from poop. Along the creek, they've been testing nine different spots. Most had levels of 10 colonies or fewer. The area near the waterfall was 369, and a little downstream was 105. The Environmental Protection Agency's standards are a geometric mean of 126 colonies per 100 mL of water.
"That was able to give us more of an idea of the general area," Reitz said.
This past Wednesday, the group investigated further to find out what the source of the problem was. They started to see discolored water and realized something was up.
"We were seeing a clear difference in the water upstream and downstream," Reitz said. "We were even seeing what looked like floating solids, sewage, toilet paper — all that gross stuff you don't want to see floating in a creek."
The organization reached out to ALCOSAN about the matter to see if there was anything it could do. According to Three Rivers Waterkeeper, ALCOSAN had crews out Friday morning investigating the problem.
While E. coli levels are high, it's best to avoid that water for recreational activities. It's usually a problem after storms where sewage starts to overflow. It's recommended that you enjoy the water during dry stretches.
"A lot of our sites that we typically test do have relatively low E. coli levels," Three Rivers Waterkeeper environmental educator Addie Kelble said over Zoom.
In an email, ALCOSAN said it is aware of the issue. It is looking into the matter, and it will have an update once it has more information. If anyone sees concerns with water quality, sewage or anything unusual, they should report it to ALCOSAN at 412-766-4810.
