Monongahela Selected as Pennsylvania's River of the Year
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1 February 2013
State residents have voted the Monongahela River as Pennsylvania's
2013 River of the Year.
The Mon, which flows through Greene, Fayette, Washington,
Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, was chosen from among six
candidates for the River of the Year honor, which is administered
by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and
the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers. This is
the third year the contest has been determined by public online
voting.
More than 25,000 ballots were cast, and the Mon eked out a win by
securing 8,156 votes. The Schuylkill River of the Philadelphia
area came in a close second, with 8,010 votes.
DCNR secretary Richard Allan said in a news release that the
online voting "generates local enthusiasm for conservation and
recognition of the importance of our waterways."
The four other finalists and total votes received were the
Lackawanna River, 5,286 votes; the Kiskiminetas River, 2,310
votes; Swatara Creek, 1,213 votes; and the Juniata River, 475
votes.
Those waterways were nominated by local organizations "because
they are special and important in their own way," Mr. Allan said
in the release.
Several events throughout the year will celebrate the Mon's
designation, including a sojourn for canoeists, kayakers and other
paddlers.
The Monongahela River also will be celebrated with an annual
Rivers Month poster issued in June.
Pennsylvania's River of the Year honors have been presented
annually since 1983.