Urban Almanac: Oh No, Ohio!

As the child of our dear Allegheny and Monongahela, the Ohio River is famous here in Pittsburgh — but advocates say it needs more national attention. The group American Rivers placed Ohio second on their annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers and argues that it should have federal protections like the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay.

It’s a wonder that it doesn’t already have these protections, since it flows through or along six states and is the main drinking water source for more than 5 million Americans.

The East Palestine train derailment put a spotlight on issues that already existed. The Ohio river suffers from a legacy of pollution from coal mining, manufacturing, power plants, and the petrochemical industry along the banks of the river — like the Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County.

The Allegheny Front reports that of the 274,000 miles of rivers and streams within the Ohio River watershed, 40 percent are impaired, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission

So what can you do to learn more and protect our waterways?

• Watch “Downstream,” a documentary produced by Point Park University's School of Communication Environmental Journalism program that explores threats to Pennsylvania’s waterways.
• Join the National Wildlife Federation for listening sessions on how to help restore the Ohio River.

Volunteer for water and riverbank cleanups with Allegheny Cleanways.