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.