On this page you will find current litigation that Three Rivers Waterkeeper is involved in fighting for clean water. As your Pittsburgh-based Waterkeeper we work to hold polluters accountable under the Clean Water Act.
Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeeper Appeal EPA’s Decision to Permit a New Fracking Waste Injection WelL
Photo citation: Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance,
In the Summer of 2022, Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeeper submitted comments (here and here), along with many others, to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) on the Sedat #4A Injection Well requesting that the US EPA NOT authorize the permit for Penneco Environmental Solutions, LLC to construct and operate this injection well. On September 21, 2023 the US EPA announced that they will issue the final permit for the Sedat #4a Injection Well located in Plum, PA. On October 26th Protect PT and Three Rivers Waterkeeper submitted a petition to the Environmental Appeals Board to appeal the US EPA’s decision to permit this injection well. More information to come. Read the petition here.
(Last updated October 2023)
(Last updated October 2023)
STYROPEK FACILITY ALLEGEDLY IN VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL CLEAN WATER ACT
On monthly nurdle patrols along the Ohio River next to Raccoon Creek, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Mountain Watershed Association observed an excess of nurdles within the Ohio River. Nurdles are small, plastic pellets roughly the size of a lego nub or smaller (<5mm) that are destined to be melted down and turned into plastic material. The two organizations traced the nurdles back to Styropek's main outfall (002) along Raccoon Creek, a major tributary to the Ohio River. This alleged illegal discharge of solid materials out of an outfall into a waterway was reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In December of 2022, the PA DEP did a visual inspection at several of Styropek's outfalls and identified nurdles present near Outfall 002. The presence of these nurdles in the waterways was continued to be seen during the monthly nurdle patrols along the Ohio River and along Raccoon Creek.
On October 3, 2023, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and PennEnvironment filed a formal notice of intent to sue BVPV Styrenics LLC and its parent company, Styropek USA, Inc., for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act at their plastic manufacturing facility in Monaca, PA. Together, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and PennEnvironment are leading the efforts with the National Environmental Law Center to hold these polluters accountable.
On December 5, 2023, PennEnvironment and Three Rivers Waterkeeper filed a federal lawsuit against BVPV Styrenics LLC and its parent company, Styropek USA, Inc. Read our full press release here.
(Last updated December 2023)
On October 3, 2023, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and PennEnvironment filed a formal notice of intent to sue BVPV Styrenics LLC and its parent company, Styropek USA, Inc., for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act at their plastic manufacturing facility in Monaca, PA. Together, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and PennEnvironment are leading the efforts with the National Environmental Law Center to hold these polluters accountable.
On December 5, 2023, PennEnvironment and Three Rivers Waterkeeper filed a federal lawsuit against BVPV Styrenics LLC and its parent company, Styropek USA, Inc. Read our full press release here.
(Last updated December 2023)
Read our full lawsuit here:
