26 November 2024
On 14 November The Allegheny Front described oil pollution on the Monongahela River that’s been happening for more than two years. Monitored by Three Rivers Waterkeeper since May 2022, an oil sheen sometimes covers the water from bank to bank for three miles, all the way to McKeesport. This can’t be good for our bald eagles who nest along on the Mon and eat fish from its water.
In October 2023 Three Rivers Waterkeeper posted photos of the oil sheen on Instagram.
“These are pretty serious sheens,” said Captain Evan Clark, a boat captain for Three Rivers Waterkeeper. “When I’m boating around up there, my boat is running through a heavy rainbow sheen that can extend from one bank of the river to the other, literally for miles.”
In August 2022, an EPA inspector reported oil discharge from the plant’s outfall, or drainage pipe, and found “substantial rainbow sheening could be seen for approximately 3 miles downstream.”(*)
— The Allegheny FRONT: Group wants stricter permit for U.S. Steel to stop oily releases into Mon River
Last year the Pennsylvania Dept of Environmental Protection (DEP) determined the oil was coming from a USS Irvin Works outfall and “issued a compliance order requiring U.S. Steel to deploy absorbent booms, investigate the cause of the releases and implement a plan to fix any problems.” — The Allegheny Front
But a year later the problem has not been addressed and it happened again last month. DEP has proposed setting a water pollution permit level on that outfall. Three Rivers Waterkeeper wants real-time monitoring on it.
Meanwhile, oil-covered water cannot be good for our bald eagles who touch the water’s surface and eat fish and waterfowl captured in or on the water.
During an oil sheen episode the pair that nests at USS Irvin Works cannot hunt the Mon for three miles downstream of their nest without being exposed to the oil. This is a lot of territory to avoid with hungry chicks in the nest.
Employees at USS Irvin Works are so proud of their bald eagle pair that the company installed an eaglecam to watch them at the nest. Surely USS Irvin Works will clean up this outfall to protect everyone that uses the Mon … including their favorite eagles.
Read more about the issue here at The Allegheny Front.
p.s. I hear that WTAE will report on this topic tonight, 26 November. Here’s their local news link.