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Rivers and Watersheds

Links to web resources dealing with Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania rivers, riverfront development, river pollution, river and watershed preservation organizations as well as links to national resources.

See also Water Quality & Conservation, Boating, and Paddling.

Pittsburgh Region

  • 3 Rivers 2nd Nature
    http://3r2n.cfa.cmu.edu/
    This is an interdisciplinary team of artists, engineers, landscape architects, policy experts, and scientists, collaborating on a study of the natural (green and blue) infrastructure of our river systems. They are located at the Studio for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University.

  • 3 Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program
    http://www.3riverswetweather.org/
    a partnership of ALCOSAN and the Allegheny County Health Department established to provide county communities with the institutional, technical and financial tools to eliminate wet weather sewer overflows.
  • Find the Rivers
    http://www.findtherivers.org/
    Find the Rivers! is an effort to expand the Hill District's economic, social and cultural opportunities by linking residents and Hill-based organizations to Pittsburgh's three rivers. The project is a collaboration between Hill House, Community Partners Institute, Carnegie Mellon University and the Riverlife Task Force.
  • Friends of the Riverfront
    http://www.friendsoftheriverfront.org/
    A membership based organization dedicated to improved public access and appreciation of Pittsburgh waterfront and the continued expansion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
  • Montour Run Watershed Association
    http://www.mrwa.info/
    The MRWA has as its purpose the protection, remediation, and long-term stewardship of the Montour Run Watershed. This includes land, water, and biological resources of the watershed, as we strive to make the Montour Valley healthier for all its residents.
  • Mountain Watershed Association
    http://www.mtwatershed.com/
    The Mountain Watershed Association, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt community-based Pennsylvania corporation concerned with the preservation and remediation of the Indian Creek Watershed from Jones Mills, Westmoreland County to the Youghiogheny River, Fayette County.
  • Nine Mile Run Watershed Association
    http://www.ninemilerun.org/
    The Nine Mile Run Watershed is a small urban watershed located in Pittsburgh's East End. The 6.5 square mile Nine Mile Run watershed includes the boroughs of Edgewood, Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, and part of the City of Pittsburgh. It is home to close to 48,000 people as well as 250 plant species, 22 different mammals, and 189 types of birds. Water from the Nine Mile Run Watershed flows into the Monongahela, then the Ohio, then the Mississippi River, and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Pennsylvania Water Resources Education Network (WREN)
    Lists local projects by county for the state. Below are links to counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
  • Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Western Pennsylvania Region
    http://www.pecwest.org/
    The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is a statewide, non-profit, education and advocacy organization devoted to promoting the protection of watersheds, the sustainable uses of land, and the implementation of environmental innovations. The primary focus of PEC's current work is watershed conservation.
  • Riverlife Task Force
    http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/
    The Riverlife Task Force is a public-private partnership established in 2000 to guide and advocate for the redevelopment of Pittsburgh's riverfronts. At the heart of our plan is the creation of Three Rivers Park: a grand urban waterfront park along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers that provides a continuous green trail link between existing and future riverfront destinations, as well as exciting new park spaces, amenities and commercial destinations. Riverlife is working to reconnect Pittsburgh with its rivers by bringing recreation, ecological restoration and economic opportunity back to our waterfronts.
  • Sewickley Creek Watershed Association
    The Sewickley Creek Watershed is a 168 square mile area in southwestern Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, drained by Sewickley Creek and it's major tributaries.
  • Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition
    http://www.srwc.org/
    Located in Cranberry Township, north of Pittsburgh, the SRWC works to protect the watershed of the Slippery Rock Creek.
  • Streets Run Watershed Association
    http://www.streetsrunwatershed.com/
    The Streets Run Watershed Association (SRWSA) is a joint Municipal organization compromised of 8 participating municipalities, including the boroughs of Baldwin, Brentwood, Homestead, Munhall, West Homestead, West Mifflin, Whitehall and the City of Pittsburgh. The Association was formed to promote the restoration and enhancement of the natural resources through flood protection and prevention and stream improvements.

  • Three Rivers Habitat Partnership (TRHP)
    http://www.wildlifehc.org/threerivers/
    is a cooperative effort among corporations, landowners, conservation groups, intergovernmental agencies, and the public to integrate and enhance efforts to conserve the natural environment of our rivers and their urban watersheds, while elevating public appreciation and stewardship for healthy ecosystems and wildlife habitat throughout the metropolitan reaches of Pittsburgh's rivers.

  • Turtle Creek Watershed Association
    http://tcwa.org/
    The Turtle Creek Watershed Association is dedicated to promoting the conservation of the natural resources of the Turtle Creek watershed, east of Pittsburgh.
  • US Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District Water Management
    http://wmw.lrp.usace.army.mil/
    Check here for current river conditions.
  • US Environmental Protection Agency Surf Your Watershed: Pennsylvania
    Learn about Pittsburgh Region watersheds
  • Watershed Atlas of the Allegheny River
    The land drained by the Allegheny River covers 11,770 square miles including most of Western Pennsylvania and part of southwestern New York. At this site you can learn how the Allegheny River watershed was formed and learn about its stream habitats. The site is a project of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Western Pennsylvania Region.
  • Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program
    The Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection is a small grants program dedicated to the preservation and the restoration of our water resources and our watersheds. Guided by an independent board of advisors, all of whom are watershed restoration experts, the Program provides much needed matching funds for state and federal grants and provides guidance to local watershed and volunteer-based organizations.

Western Pennsylvania

  • Allegheny Wild and Scenic River
    http://www.rivers.gov/wsr-allegheny.html
    Designated part of the national Wild and Scenic River System
  • AMD and Art
    http://www.amdandart.org/
    Abandoned Mine Drainage is a devastating and widespread environmental problem in southwestern Pennsylvania. This Johnstown group is working to destabilize the typical negative expectations of this region with large-scale, artful public places that directly address the problems of AMD.
  • Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative
    a broad-based citizen/industry/government program working to eliminate acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines at the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM).
  • Blackleggs Creek Watershed Association
    http://www.blackleggs.org/
    is attempting to restore the Blackleggs Creek Watershed to its natural condition so that it may support a healthy aquatic habitat from the headwaters to its confluence with the Kiskiminetas River.
  • Clarion Wild and Scenic River
    Designated part of the national Wild and Scenic River System.
  • Creek Connections
    Creek Connections, formerly French Creek Environmental Education Project, is a partnership between Allegheny College and regional K-12 schools in which they use the waterways in Northwest Pennsylvania, Southwest New York, and the Pittsburgh area as outdoor environmental laboratories. At the heart of Creek Connections is a collaboration between the college and public school districts in western Pennsylvania and New York for the purpose of encouraging natural science education through hands-on field and laboratory experiences. Allegheny College faculty and students provide the framework and assistance for school-based investigative research in regional watersheds.
  • Dunbar Creek Project
    http://dunbarcreek.info/
    This site contains information about Dunbar Creek. Fayette County, Pennsylvania (south of Pittsburgh). It currently presents various maps and images of the Dunbar Creek Watershed integrated into photographic tours of many of the streams and other areas that make up this fascinating watershed.
  • Greene County Watershed Alliance
    http://www.greenewatersheds.org/
    The Greene County Watershed Alliance is a nonprofit organization which serves to educate, promote, protect and preserve the ecosystems of Greene County's Watersheds.

  • Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team
    http://www.kcstreamteam.org/
    The mission of the Kiski-conemaugh Stream Team is to educate and engage citizen stewards in maintaining, enhancing and restoring the natural resources of the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin.

  • Raymond Proffitt Foundation
    Although this foundation is an environmental organization located in eastern Pennsylvania, it is currently fighting longwall mining in southwestern Pennsylvania. Their report on Wetlands and Longwall Mining: Regulatory Failure in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is available online.
  • Roaring Run Watershed Association
    An environmental preservation organization whose mission is to restore and protect the watershed that is near Apollo, Pennsylvania, and includes both Rattling Run and Roaring Run, which flow into the Kiskiminetas River.
  • SCRIP: Stonycreek, Conemaugh Rivers Improvement Project
    http://www.scrip.pa-conservation.org/
    a local effort in Cambria and Somerset Counties, in the Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania, to restore the Stonycreek and Little Conemaugh Rivers from over 150 years of coal mining induced pollution.
  • Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program
    http://www.wpawp.org/
    The Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program is a small grants program dedicated to the preservation and the restoration of our water resources and our watersheds. Guided by an independent board of advisors, all of whom are watershed restoration experts, the Program provides much needed matching funds for state and federal grants and provides guidance to local watershed and volunteer-based organizations.

Pennsylvania

  • Delaware Riverkeeper Network
    a nonprofit, membership organization that has worked since 1988 to strengthen citizen protection of the Delaware River and its tributary watersheds. Their fact sheets are numerous and informative.
  • Juniata Clean Water Partnership
    http://www.jcwp.org/
    The Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JCWP) is a regional coalition of citizens, community groups, non-profit conservation organizations, county planning offices, and county conservation districts working to address the environmental and natural resource issues, along with other political and social obstacles affecting the Juniata River watershed, located in Central Pennsylvania.
  • PA Watersheds
    http://www.pawatersheds.org/
    Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) is the Pennsylvania Commonwealth's only statewide river conservation and watershed networking organization. POWR works with a diversity of groups, individuals, agencies, and educational institutions to maintain and enhance Pennsylvania's 83,000 miles of streams and rivers and their associated watershed resources. Their Watershed Weekly is online.

  • Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center
    http://www.geog.psu.edu/wetlands/
    The goal of the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center (CWC) is to conduct, facilitate, and coordinate interdisciplinary research, monitoring, and training regarding wetlands and related resources, with an emphasis in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. Currently they have projects on the Juniata Watershed and salamander monitoring.
  • Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources: Rivers
    http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/
    Each year the DCNR provides funding for "river sojourns" on Pennsylvania Rivers. Check here for information about the sojourns in various areas of the state. June is Pennsylvania Rivers Month.
  • Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: Watershed Management
    http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/watershedmgmt/
    Includes "PA Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual".
  • Pennsylvania Water Resources Education Network (WREN)
    http://www.palwv.org/wren/
    A project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. WREN publishes a quarterly newsletter, Water Policy News, maintains a Resource Center in the LWVPA office in Harrisburg, provides funding for local coalitions to carry out community based educational projects and provides information on local water resource projects throughout the state.
  • US Environmental Protection Agency: Surf Your Watershed: Pennsylvania
    http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/state.cfm?statepostal=PA
    Search a database of environmental resources about your local watershed. Also check the water quality throughout the state of Pennsylvania
  • Watersheds.tv
    http://www.greenworks.tv/watershedstv/
    Part of the greenworks.tv website, watersheds.tv offers feature articles about watersheds in Pennsylvania.

Nearby States

  • Friends of the Crooked (Cuyahoga) River
    Friends of the Crooked River was formed in 1990 in order to give the 100 mile length of the Cuyahoga River (in Cleveland and northeast Ohio) a voice. Their website contains information on bridges and dams, quick facts, waterfalls, tributaries, natural history, events and recreation (paddling). They also have their newsletter online. Help them celebrate River Day in May.
  • Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
    Part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge conserves the "wild Ohio" within one of our nation's busiest inland waterways. Established in 1990, the refuge extends along 362 miles of the upper Ohio River with 22 scattered islands and three mainland properties. The refuge works to protect wildlife and habitats native to the Ohio River and its floodplain.
  • ORSANCO: Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
    http://www.orsanco.org/
    Established on June 30, 1948 to control and abate pollution in the Ohio River Basin, ORSANCO is an interstate commission representing eight states and the federal government. Member states include: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
    • Friends of the Ohio
      A support group for the Ohio River, based in Cincinnati.
    • River Sweep
      An annual cleanup on the 3rd Sunday of June to remove trash from the Ohio River and its tributaries. It involves the participation of six-states, and is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission and more than a dozen corporations.
    • RiverWatchers
      a citizen volunteer monitoring program for the Ohio River and selected tributaries started as a pilot project in 1992 by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and now including 31 groups in six Ohio River Basin states, including Pennsylvania. It involves schools students in monitoring the water quality of the river.
  • Upper Monongahela River Association
    http://www.uppermon.org/
    The purpose of the Upper Monongahela River Association (UMRA) is to promote the general development of the Upper Monongahela River, primarily in West Virginia, especially recreational boating.
  • West Virginia Rivers Coalition
    http://www.wvrivers.org/
    WVRC is the second largest river conservation group in the country and the largest east of the Mississippi, with over 1,500 members and 46 affiliate organizations.

United States

  • American Heritage Rivers
    http://www.epa.gov/rivers/
    The American Heritage Rivers initiative is an innovative response to help river communities obtain federal assistance with the minimum of red tape and regulations. The website is hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • American Rivers
    http://www.americanrivers.org/
    North America's leading national river-conservation organization whose mission is to protect and restore America's river systems and to foster a river stewardship ethic. Includes a list of most endangered rivers and links to related sites
  • Izaak Walton League of America
    http://www.iwla.org/
    Founded in 1922 by Chicago anglers to combat stream pollution, IWLA's top goal continues to be water quality. Currently with more than 330 local chapters nationwide, including a Greater Pittsburgh Chapter.
  • National Park Service: National Center for Recreation and Conservation (NCRC)
    Serves as the National Park Service's focal point for working with an array of public and private partners in providing close-to-home recreation opportunities throughout the nation.
    • Rivers, Trails & Conservations Assistance Program
      "The Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (Rivers & Trails) program of the National Park Service helps local groups and agencies undertake conservation projects -- like protecting rivers or developing trails -- in their community." The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Ohio Greenways have received their support.
    • Land & Water Conservation Fund
      Provides matching grants to States and local government for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities.

  • National River Cleanup Week
    http://www.nationalrivercleanup.org/
    National River Cleanup Week traditionally occurs during the second or third week of May each year. It was originally conceived in 1991 by America Outdoors® in response to a recognition that America's streams and rivers were in need of cleaning due to the careless disposal of trash and other debris.
  • National Wetlands Research Center
    http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/
    Part of the US Geological Survey providing information and research for the understanding and conservation of the nation's wetlands. Headquartered at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

  • National Wild and Scenic Rivers
    http://www.rivers.gov/
    The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the US Congress in 1968 to protect rivers from abuse and preserve the character of the river.
  • River Network
    http://www.rivernetwork.org/
    River Network and River Watch Network combined forces to provide support and advocacy to local grassroots watershed organizations.
  • USGS: Water Resources of the United States
    http://water.usgs.gov/
    Information from the US Geological Survey
  • US Geological Survey: Ecological Status and Trends of the Upper Mississippi River System 1998
    A detailed report on the condition of the Upper Mississippi, including the Illinois River.
  • The Waterkeeper Alliance
    http://www.waterkeeper.org/
    The Waterkeeper Alliance is a grass roots organization with individual waterkeeper programs both nationally and internationally. Riverkeepers are citizen river advocates who monitor rivers by means of a patrol boat and bring attention to problems such as illegal dumps, abandoned vessels, sewer overflows, pollution sources, etc.
  • The Waterfront Center
    http://www.waterfrontcenter.org/
    A non-profit education and urban planning organization, headquartered in Washington DC, whose mission is to assist communities and professions in making the wisest and best long-term uses of waterfront resources for maximum public benefit.

International

  • International Rivers Network
    http://www.irn.org/
    The leading organization working to halt the construction of destructive river development projects and to promote sound river management options worldwide.