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Turtle Creek Tributary The Turtle Creek tributary flows 21.1 miles through Allegheny and Westmoreland County. The tributary belongs to the Turtle Creek Watershed beginning in Delmont, PA before finishing its 147.41 square mile journey at its mouth in the Monongahela River. The Pittsburgh suburbs within Allegheny County and the communities in Westmoreland County “make up 33 municipalities, including two cities and eight townships, along with 23 boroughs, with the most area being taken up by Murrysville”. As urbanization and industrialization grew, human development has topographically altered the stream’s shape and aquatic life. Dams and abandoned mines contribute acid mine drainage to the watershed as fourteen species of concern living in the watershed, including five flora and nine fauna, suffer from poor water quality. In conjunction with water laws and water agencies, watershed organizations work to rehabilitate the Turtle Creek watershed 1. Paleo Indian Period Three main tribes inhabited the Turtle Creek Watershed - the Monongahelas, Haudenosaunee, and the Turtle Clan of the Lenai Lenapi - with over 200 sites for large villages, farms, and campsites1 . The Turtle Clan of Delaware Indians occupied Turtle Creek - originally named Tulpewisipu, or Turtle River - in the early 1700s after the Europeans took over their lands along the Eastern Seaboard”2. The Lenape’s seasonal campsites, hunting techniques, and resource management meant easy access to the small game in addition to the “large-scale agriculture… supplement[ing] their hunter-gatherer society”. The Lenape organized themselves through “shared cultural and linguistic characteristics” - the Musee, or Wolf Clan, occupied northern New Jersey, The lower Hudson Valley and New York Harbor in NY; the Unami, or Turtle Clan, occupied central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania; and the Unalachtigo, or Turkey Clan, occupied southern New Jersey and the northern shore of Delaware3. The Monongahela Natives created a farming culture - raising corn, beans, and squash - on the watershed’s resources before displacement by the Iroquois in the early 1600’s2. The mid-18th century marked the transition from native habitants to European settlers. The Pontiac Rebellion - from 1763 to 1765 - was a native push against the British reign with the Turtle Creek Watershed and the confluence of Turtle Creek and the Monongahela River acting as critical points in the war. The Lenape staged a surprise siege against General Henry Bouquet’s troops at Fort Pitt which led to a two-day battle with an eventual British win and secure rule in Western Pennsylvania1. On July 9, 1755, the French and Delaware Indians defeated General George Braddock at the confluence of Turtle Creek and the Monongahela River; however, the British claimed victory at Bushy Run against the natives, therefore, opening of Western Pennsylvania for European Settlement2. Industrialization The early 18th century saw European settlers establishing residence along Turtle Creek. Located in modern day North Braddock on Turtle Creek’s mouth along the Monongahela River, in 1753, John Fraser’s Cabin served as an important landmark and trading post with frequent visits from George Washington 1. Widow Meyer’s Tavern was a 300 acre of land - modern day Monroeville, but once Plum Township - granted to Martha Miers in 1787 4. At the mouth of Turtle Creek, the tavern transformed from a colonial trading post4 to travelers’ favorite stopping place in the 1790’s between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvania Railroad5. In 1878, a natural gas well was drilled in Murrysville, PA next to Turtle Creek, and by the late 19th century, “the watershed region was known for its coal mining and natural gas resources”1. Turtle Creek Watershed Industrial Impact By the 1800’s, the Turtle Creek Watershed settled into a farming community with almost half of its natural landscape transformed into farmland and fields. The introduction of livestock, elimination of natural buffers and filters, and excess sediment began to significantly impair the creek’s health, structure, and water quality. Without vegetation growth along the stream, the creek’s banks become unstable, lose nutrients from fertilizer runoff, and cannot provide shade to cool the water for aquatic life. Additionally, livestock weight impacts the stream bank structure, and as they begin directly depositing manure in the water, the livestock presence increases the risks of injury and disease transmission between animals. Without secure stream banks, stormwater runoff from pastures, rooftops, and pavements increases the sediment erosion entering the stream channel6. The sediment erosion and waste in the watershed begins in Union County and flows westward into Allegheny and Westmoreland County and its tributaries. Brush Creek and Thompson Run are the principal tributaries draining into Turtle Creek with the former located in Westmoreland County and the latter in Allegheny County. Jeanette and Irwin Boroughs drain into the Brush Creek tributary, and at its junction with Brush Creek, Turtle Creek receives sewage from Trafford City, Pitcairn, Wilmerding, Turtle Creek, and East Pittsburgh. At the time of their operation, Westinghouse Foundry Company and the Pennsylvania Railroad Shops in Trafford drained its sewage and manufacturing waste into Turtle Creek as well2.
Andrew Capets, author of Good War, Great Men and local historian at Trafford Historical Society, elaborates on Westinghouse’s impact in the Trafford area. Westinghouse purchased farmland to build its foundry and town. A large portion of the old Westinghouse property is now a brownfield where some of the farmland once used to dump ash (sand transformed into molds with black cinders leftover). Other portions of the property contain PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) once used by the Westinghouse Power Circuit Breaker Division8. Further Changes to Turtle Creek The Westinghouse Foundry Company (Trafford City), the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (Wilmerding), the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company (East Pittsburgh), and the Pennsylvania Railroad shops (Pitcairn) drained sewage and manufacturing waste into Turtle Creek. The creek was used to cool and condense large manufacturing plants along the stream; however, the large acid presence in the water created corrosive effects on boiler tubes and condensers2. The 1907 Second Annual Report of the Commissioner of Health raised concerns that industry drainage and municipality drainage would form undesirable sanitary conditions and characteristics for Turtle Creek. If all municipalities sought grants to drain in Turtle Creek, in conjunction with the industries, then the sewage in the drainage basin would overtax the stream's ability to dilute the sulfur inputs9. Therefore, a solution was needed to redirect sewage outside of the drinking water source. Despite Westinghouse’s private dams protecting the “lower Turtle Creek Valley against backwater flooding from the Monongahela River, up to 4 feet above that of the March 1936 flood”, a majority of the flood damages are concentrated around two major industrial plants occupying extensive reaches along both Turtle Creek and Thompson Run: Westinghouse Electric Corp. and Westinghouse Airbrake Co. However, the “completion of the Tygart and Youghiogheny Reservoirs on tributaries of the Monongahela River, upstream of the mouth of Turtle Creek” have diminished the need for the Westinghouse gates10. The Flood Control Act of December 1944 authorized a flood control reservoir project for the Turtle Creek Basin with the purpose of maintaining flood control, industrial water supply, and pollution abatement. The dam site “would be on Turtle Creek, about 2 miles above the junction of Brush Creek” with the head reservoir located at Murrysville, PA. Subsequently, the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s western extension was built through the Turtle Creek Reservoir Project’s authorization area. Additionally, “extensive residential and commercial developments have occurred in the reservoir area near its head at Murrysville”10. Modern Day Turtle Creek Turtle Creek Watershed Association Today, groups like the Turtle Creek Watershed Association (TCWA) work to clean and rehabilitate the watershed. Founded in 1970, TCWA sat at the front of “the modern environmental protection movement… [as] one of Pennsylvania's oldest and most established watershed associations”. The watershed continues to cover and drain over a 147-square-mile area through 33 municipalities in Westmoreland and Allegheny County with Turtle Creek beginning its more than 21-mile journey from Delmont to the Monongahela’s mouth in East Pittsburgh11.  (Map courtesy of Turtle Creek Watershed) The TWCA commissioned a 2002 study with Civil & Environmental Consultants Incorporated to compose the Turtle Creek Watershed River Conservation Plan including previous and current watershed conditions assessments; watershed characteristics details in identifying stream pollutants; and plan of action recommendations to remedy the pollutants12. The plan highlights the 1989 major fish kill12 in the Pennsylvania Approved Trout Water (ATW) - “a main stem of middle Turtle between the mouths of Abers Creek downstream to the mouth of Brush Creek”2. The severe drought between 1988 and 1989 in tangent with an above-average acid mine water input caused the severe pH depression [(pH = 4.6)]2 and high levels of aluminum; subsequently, this killed “approximately 3,200 hatchery-bred brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), as well as 2,500 forage fish”. “The fish developed mucus over their gills, thus preventing the exchange of dissolved gasses and ions with the surrounding water,” and despite attempts to restock fish in 1991, another kill in 1993 “ceased stocking efforts until later when reclamation efforts were implemented”12. The TWCA also partnered with Westmoreland County “to address ‘the largest untreated abandoned mine discharge in Western Pennsylvania’: the Irwin (mine) Discharge. The mine will serve as the location of water treatment system(s) to effectively eliminate untreated mine water currently contaminating Brush Creek and turning it orange. In Western Pennsylvania, the mine discharge is the largest with an average of 9 million gallons flowing through the South Side mine drainage per day. The South Side mine drainage acts as “the primary discharge point for thousands of acres of abandoned underground coal mines in the central Irwin coal basin”. To address and access the mine pool, the Biddle Property is the most “cost effective, realistic, and preferred alternative to treat the Irwin Discharge”. The project’s success will restore “approximately 9 miles of Brush Creek from Irwin to Trafford and further downstream via Turtle Creek into Allegheny County”13. Three Rivers WaterkeeperThree Rivers Waterkeeper (3RWK) is a Pittsburgh local nonprofit organization protecting the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers - in addition to their respective watersheds - for safe drinking, fishing, and swimming. Founded in 2009, 3RWK is a scientific and legal advocate for the community as the “waterways are critical to the health, vitality, and economic prosperity of the Pittsburgh region and communities”. 3RWK monitors and tests waterways to ensure companies are in compliance with water laws and regulations. Water sampling provides integral information to determine water quality throughout the watershed.   pH levels below 6 and above 9 standard (std) units can negatively impact aquatic life reproduction, growth, and disease and death rates. Chloride magnesium levels (Cl- mg/L) above 100 mg/L can suggest industrial and urban waste drainage, and high chloride concentrations “in freshwater can result in organisms lacking the necessary nutrients, which can eventually lead to death”18. Community members can also get involved with 3RWK through their volunteer programs. These programs offer water safety and pollution education within Southwestern PA, and volunteers can learn how to identify and report water pollutants and their sources.
What’s Next for Turtle Creek We can take steps to preserve the Turtle Creek Tributary by ensuring we’re mindfully engaging with our waterways. Sustainable engagement with our waterways can look like using and disposing of harmful materials properly; volunteering at local watersheds and environmental organization events; and educating our community on our water needs. Knowing our clean water laws also protects our water resources and uses. The PA Constitution Right to Clean Water states “the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment”. Furthermore, Pennsylvania’s natural water resources belong to PA citizens of today and the future, therefore, it’s the Commonwealth’s responsibility to “conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people”14. The Clean Water Act of 1972 structures the regulation of pollutant discharge disposal and surface water quality standards15. Additionally, the Clean Water Act and Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law regulates and requires “the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to evaluate aquatic ecosystem integrity through assessments of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics” 16. To report pollutants, contact PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), PA Fish and Boat Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Three Rivers Waterkeeper (3RWK)19 to report an emergency. Remember to prioritize your safety when assessing pollution incidents, and if it’s an emergency, contact 911. Footnotes
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Tamiya ThomasEnvironmental Steward and PMSC AmeriCorps Member at Three Rivers Waterkeeper ArchivesCategories |
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