A Day in the Life: Swim Guide Sampling in Pittsburgh
- 16 hours ago
- 9 min read
By: Addie Kelble and Lucinda Mortimer
Addie's Sites
Big Sewickley Creek is my first sampling site of the day and is located near Plum Street Park. To access this tributary, you walk down a path through some greenery and emerge onto a small rock beach. This site is a tributary of the Ohio River. The water always looks so clear and is quick and lively. I see a lot of wildlife at this location, which is exciting to observe. Each week I’ve gone, there has been a large committee of turkey vultures sunning themselves on the nearby pylon, which has been my favorite part of water sampling.
Montour Run is located along the Montour Trail. After walking down the trail for a bit, you’ll find a break in the plants to walk through to get to the water. Once you walk down the path, you’ll step onto a rocky beach whose availability varies depending on the water levels. If we have experienced large amounts of rain over the past few days, the water level will be higher, and this location is a good indicator of that. This site is a tributary that flows into the Ohio River. Additionally, I have seen interesting wildlife at this location, including snakes, minnows, herons, and dragonflies. I also frequently encounter people at this location running or biking on the trail or directly interacting with the water.
Kilbuck Fish and Boat Ramp, situated alongside the railroad tracks in Kilbuck Township, is a frequently used boat ramp and fishing spot. This site is a tributary of the Ohio River. At this location, the water levels are also an indicator of the amount of rain we’ve had in the past few days. There is a small dock that will either be visible or completely submerged. When the water level is high, a lot of debris floats along the water's edge, including sticks, leaves, styrofoam, and even nurdles. When the water levels are higher, I always stop for a few extra minutes to look for nurdles in the water and debris.
Sawmill Run is my fourth stop on sampling days and is one of my favorites to visit. It is located along Sawmill Run Boulevard and is a tributary of the Ohio River. Once at the site, you walk for a bit along the path and climb down a hill to get to the water. There are signs at this location from ALCOSAN that warn of sewage runoff in the area and to be careful if you interact with the water. While there are normally high levels of E. coli at this spot, it is still a beautiful spot to visit. There are rocks and bricks covered with moss, and a small waterfall that makes the area so beautiful. I often find a lot of broken glass and ceramic pieces at this site, and I enjoy searching for colorful pieces to collect.
Point State Park is a state park located in downtown Pittsburgh, at the convergence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. This is a beautiful spot to view the city, creating a view of many bridges, stadiums, the incline, and also the outlines and remains of two of the oldest structures in Pittsburgh, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. The Point also houses a large fountain, which adds to the scenery. The park is always bustling with people reading, walking, running, biking, and boating. When I am sampling here, there is always a good chance that I will have an interaction with someone at the park. It is always rewarding to talk to people who are interested in our work or just generally curious. I’ve enjoyed getting to connect with people at this location and hearing about their own experiences with the waterways in our area.
Girty’s Run is always my last stop on my sampling day. It is a tributary of the Allegheny River that runs through Millvale. This site is always interesting to see because this part of the tributary flows beneath a nearby building. I have also seen a lot of wildlife at this location, including finches, fish, salamanders, and ducks.
Lucinda's Sites
Panther Hollow Run is located in Schenley Park and can be found after a short walk down the steps off Schenley Drive. It’s always my first stop of the day during Swim Guide sampling, so I enjoy starting the morning with a walk along the trail. Panther Hollow Trail is a two-mile loop, and I usually see people out running or walking whenever I’m there. Our sampling spot is just a short walk into the loop after crossing a bridge, but I’ve always wanted to keep going and do the full trail. Panther Hollow Run is a tributary to the Monongahela River, but it doesn’t flow directly into it. The stream flows into Panther Hollow Lake, which drains into a pipe that sends the water underground into the sewer system. After heavy rain, this water enters the combined sewage system and eventually ends up in the Monongahela. Due to this system throughout Pittsburgh’s waterways, the weekly Swim Guide sampling was started to help the public make informed decisions about recreating in Pittsburgh’s rivers.
Duck Hollow is always my second sampling site, right along the Monongahela River. It’s one of my favorite spots because of the view of the Homestead Grays Bridge and the Great Blue Herons that like to hang out here. On dry days, the delta gets really shallow and you can walk out onto it, which makes the whole area feel wide open and peaceful. It’s a popular spot for fishing or kayaking, and there’s always something going on out on the water. Many people will fish from the parking lot, located right above the delta. There are many barges and towboats on the river, which are fun to just watch pass by.
Turtle Creek is about a 25-minute drive from Monroeville to Duck Hollow. We sample a section of Turtle Creek right behind Pitcairn Park. The creek’s headquarters begin in Delmont, a town in Westmoreland County located a few miles to the east. Before European settlers arrived, the valley was home to the Turtle Clan of the Iroquois Nation. The name Turtle Creek comes from the Native American word for the area, which referred to the large number of turtles that lived there. I haven’t seen any turtles at the sampling site myself, but it’s said there’s still a healthy population in the area. One thing I always pay attention to is how fast the stream is flowing. Some days it moves so quickly that you can’t even see the bottom. Other days, it slows down, and the water looks almost clear. There are usually ducks hanging out near the delta, which I love watching, and I’ve even spotted groundhogs hiding in the bushes by the water.
Getting to Deer Creek is one of the longer drives on Swim Guide sampling days. It takes about 30 minutes to head past Oakmont and cross over to the other side of the Allegheny River. Most of the time, the water level here is pretty high, but there was one day I sampled when it was really low, and a bunch of people were out fishing on the delta. The site is tucked just off Route 28, so you can hear cars constantly passing overhead. To get to the creek, there’s a short walk down a steep slope, which can be a bit slippery after rain. Deer Creek’s headwaters start in southern Butler County and flow south into the Allegheny River. Directly across from the sampling spot is Twelve Mile Island, which sits 12 miles upstream from the Point in downtown Pittsburgh. The island is only accessible by boat and has a few summer cottages along with some year-round residents. Even though it’s close to all the traffic and development, the area still feels surprisingly natural.
Sharpsburg is usually my last sampling site of the day, and it’s almost always busy with people enjoying the river and the outdoors. Located along the Allegheny River, the Sharpsburg Boat Ramp is part of a marina known as Six Mile Landing, where you’ll often see lots of boats docked. If the weather is nice, there’s almost always a crowd. I usually see at least 10 people fishing, boating, or kayaking. On some days, I’ve seen big groups of 50 to 100 people, often kids from a summer camp, getting ready to head out on the river. Many times, there will be a flock of geese hanging out on the shoreline or in the shallow water.
Each week, we sample a different tributary that changes week to week. We rotate between sites on the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny Rivers, so each one gets equal attention. Some of the tributaries we’ve sampled include Phipps Run, Fall Run, Plum Creek, and Chartiers Creek. My favorite so far has been Southside Riverfront Park. This site had direct access to the Monongahela River and was in a nice location. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail, a 35-mile trail that follows parts of all three rivers, runs right through the park. The sampling spot was just under the Birmingham Bridge, with a great view of the bridge and the river.
Protocols
At each location, we take note of the temperature, weather conditions, date, and time. We also record the number of people at the site and any anomalies in or around the water. For example, when Addie visited Big Sewickley Creek, there was foam gathering in the water, so this is something that we would take note of. Next, we label our collection bottles with tape, writing down the location name, date, and time. Before taking a sample, we put on gloves to avoid contamination. To make sure the sample is accurate, we rinse the bottle three times with water from the site before filling it for the final sample. Additionally, at each site, we take photos and videos to document the sample taking or anything exciting that we see. Once the sample is taken, we throw away the used gloves and keep the collected sample separate from the rest of the bottles. We follow this same process at every sampling site throughout the day to keep things consistent. However, one exception to sampling this way is when we take samples at The Point. At The Point, you are not able to reach the water from the walking path, so we used a pole with a sampling cup on the end to access the water. We then follow the same protocol of rinsing the sampling cup three times, then rinsing the sampling bottle three times, before finally collecting the final water sample.
Once we’ve both collected all 12 samples, we meet back at the office to prepare them. The first thing we do is plug in the incubator and let it heat up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While it warms up, we gather our supplies: 12 R-cards, 12 pipettes, 12 sample bottles, 2 pairs of gloves, and a pen. R-cards are a self-contained E. coli testing method that does not require any additional materials to test. The card has a 6x6 grid filled with a material that will react with the water, and is covered by a clear film. We look at each sample bottle and copy its label onto the matching R-card so we can keep track of which sample goes where. After putting on gloves, we use the pipettes to measure out 1 milliliter of water from each sample bottle. After lifting the clear film, we slowly release the liquid onto the center of the R-card and then quickly lower the film back down. As the liquid starts to spread, we rotate the card and use our fingers to evenly distribute it, making sure the sample is as consistent as possible. Once all 12 samples are on the 12 R-cards, we double-check the incubator temperature and begin placing the cards inside. We place them in the incubator so they’re evenly spread and not overlapping. Finally, we record the exact time the cards go into the incubator so we know when to return the next day.
After 24 hours, we put on gloves, unplug the incubator, and remove the R-cards. One of us has our datasheet open on a laptop, and the other one is counting the E. coli colonies. After counting all the colonies, we record whether E. coli is present, the total number of colonies, and whether the sample meets the safety standards. This data is recorded for all 12 sites. Once we know which sites passed the standard for the week, we start working on the weekly Instagram post in Canva. We update the map with the correct locations and mark which sites passed or failed. After everything looks good, we send the Canva file to our communications manager, who posts it on Instagram so the public can easily see the results. We also update the 2025 Swim Guide Datasheet so that the public can see the total number of E. coli colonies for each site. Lastly, we update the Swim Guide website. Swim Guide is a global program that lets anyone check the pollution status of beaches or popular swim spots based on E. coli levels. These sites are actively monitored by environmental organizations like ours. The website helps people make informed decisions about where it’s safe to swim or spend time in the water.
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