Protect Our Rivers and Streams
From Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers to the smaller streams in our backyards, Pennsylvania’s waterways are part of what make living here so great. Yet incredibly, more than 15,000 miles of our streams and rivers are so polluted that they’re considered unsafe for fishing and swimming. This is partially because polluters take advantage of inadequate protections for more than half of Pennsylvania’s streams, leaving them vulnerable to more pollution.
Pennsylvania's waterways
From Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers to the smaller streams in our backyards, Pennsylvania’s waterways are part of what make living here so great.
Yet incredibly, more than 15,000 miles of our streams and rivers are so polluted that they’re considered unsafe for fishing and swimming. This is partially because polluters take advantage of inadequate protections for more than half of Pennsylvania’s streams, leaving them vulnerable to more pollution.
More than half of our streams are unprotected
How can this be? Polluters are exploiting loopholes in the Clean Water Act—threatening to turn back the clock on 40 years of progress toward cleaning up our rivers and streams. We need our elected officials to restore Clean Water Act protections to Pennsylvania’s streams and waters across the country, before it’s too late. Stand up for our river and streams.
Together, we can show our elected officials the support they need to stand up to polluters.
Our streams are not sewers
We cannot allow polluters to treat our rivers and streams like their own personal sewers. Until we close these loopholes in the Clean Water Act, however, nearly 45,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania will continue to lack the protections they need—and deserve.
While proposals have been put forth to close these loopholes, polluting industries and their allies in Congress have threatened to block these protections. We need to show our elected officials the public support they need to stand up to the polluters.
Together, we can win
Protecting Pennsylvania’s waterways is a big challenge, but we’re up to the task. We are talking to Pennsylvanians about what’s at stake, testifying in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., educating lawmakers, and shining a spotlight in the media on the need to protect our waterways. But the real key to winning this fight is you.
Together, we can ensure protection for all of Pennsylvania’s great rivers and streams—now and for future generations.
Key Facts
- 15,000 miles of streams and rivers—including segments of Neshaminy Creek, the Wissahickon, the Monongahela River, and more—are considered too polluted for fishing and swimming.
- Pollution makes Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers unsafe for swimming, fishing, or even touching for about 40 to 70
days each summer. - Your action and support can help us protect our rivers and streams and help us close loopholes in the Clean Water Act before more of our rivers and streams get polluted.
