Protect Our River and Quality of Life
Washington PA Observer Reporter
4 June 2010
The Monongahela River, the commercial highway that provides both
Washington and Greene counties with an eastern border, achieved some
national attention this week, but not the sort of recognition that
fosters pride.
The Mighty Mon was cited among 10 of "America's Most Endangered Rivers"
by the environmental group, America's Rivers. To be sure, our river is
not yet dead or dangerous; it's the potential for it to become so that
put the Monongahela on the list.
What is worrisome to this environmental organization and others are the
problems associated with drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus
Shale play, namely the fluids used to fracture the shale that if not
properly contained and treated could poison water supplies.
But the Monongahela River faces other and older threats. Acid mine
drainage from abandoned coal mines that have filled with water over the
years seeps into creeks that empty into the river. High levels of total
dissolved solids from coal mine discharges were a contributing factor
in the massive fish kill last fall on Dunkard Creek, a tributary of the
Mon.
There is much more to the Mon than its fish, however; it is, for 85
percent of Washington County's population, our drinking water. Losing
such a resource would be disastrous for our health and our economy.
That's why being on this list and this ignominious attention is a good
thing. The natural gas industry is important to this area, but without
strict oversight and regulation, we are endangered. We need to devote
more resources toward this protection, a costly endeavor that the gas
industry must share.
Pennsylvania is considering a gas severance tax. Unfortunately, some of
the plans for that revenue are for filling other holes in the state
budget. That revenue should be used here, to repair damages to our
roads and our environment and to protect our quality of life.