It may be hot out, but reconsider before jumping in one of Pittsburgh’s rivers — the water may contain raw sewage.
While you’re not guaranteed to be exposed to major health risks if you swim in any of the Three Rivers at any given point, there’s a chance you could be taking a dip with runoff from abandoned mines. The risk for sewage comes when it rains, as even just a small storm can cause an overflow of wastewater into the Pittsburgh’s rivers.
Here’s what to know before deciding if you want to swim in Pittsburgh’s rivers.
How dirty are Pittsburgh’s rivers?
There are hundreds of sewer overflow points throughout the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers, Daniel Bain, associate professor of geology and environmental science at University of Pittsburgh. writes in a column for The Conversation. Rainfall — as little as a tenth of an inch, according to the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, or ALCOSAN — can cause an overflow of stormwater and raw sewage to flow into the rivers…