PITTSBURGH — Oil sheens up to 18 miles long have repeatedly been reported by an environmental advocacy group on the Monongahela River over the last six months. U.S. Steel spokesperson Amanda Malkowski told Environmental Health News (EHN) the company has worked and communicated with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and “has thoroughly investigated every report” of oil spills tracked to its facilities. The oil spills are just the latest environmental insult for the waterway, which is one of Pittsburgh’s iconic three rivers, in addition to the Allegheny and the Ohio Rivers, which together make up the Ohio River basin. The way oil spills disperse creates a special headache for investigators in tracking down a source but health advocates say residents aren’t getting the answers — or action — they deserve. During one incident when the group reported an oil sheen on the river but the agency was unable to send out an investigator quickly, Three Rivers Waterkeeper called the EPA’s 24-hour hotline for oil spills in waterways, according to Hulton VanTassel.

Source: CBC News November 07, 2023 11:16 UTC