Three Rivers Waterkeeper has observed oil sheen ranging from 2 to 18 miles long, some of which remain on the River for days.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper is represented by Appalachian Mountain Advocates and alleges that the discharges of oil and grease from the Irvin Plant violate Pennsylvania Clean Streams Laws
On November 20, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection, entered into a Consent Order and Agreement with United States Steel Corporation to address the repeated oil sheening discharges from the company’s Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Allegheny County. [Read more here]
The consent order requires U.S. Steel to pay $135,000 in fines and monitor, and eventually, eliminate petrochemical sheens originating from their outfalls.
However, the Waterkeeper documented sheen on at least 4 days in December 2025, and it most recently observed a sheen on January 9, 2026.
Each of those events followed execution of the Consent Order described above, which required U.S. Steel to immediately begin daily inspections of certain outfalls.
“Can we move beyond the bad old days of our rivers covered in oil in Pittsburgh? U.S. Steel has long been aware of this persistent problem and not corrected the issues that have caused our communities and our rivers to suffer. The fines they've received don't go nearly far enough towards addressing more than a decade of past neglect or making it financially unattractive to continue with business as usual.” said Captain Evan Clark, Three Rivers Waterkeeper.
“Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law and the accompanying regulations are clear: discharges that create a sheen on our rivers are illegal. Full stop,” says Heather Hulton VanTassel, Executive Director, Three Rivers Waterkeeper. “Decades of research has shown that a visible sheen is a telltale sign that oil discharges are harming the aquatic ecosystem.”
The Three Rivers Waterkeeper protects the Allegheny, Monongahela and the upper Ohio River, which make up the headwaters of the Ohio River Basin.
The Ohio River starts at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, PA and charts a course across a vast section of the Midwest before flowing into the Mississippi River.
Its watershed covers 205,000 square miles across 15 states, from New York to Mississippi.
While the Ohio River forms the border of five states, ultimately it unites 30 million people—five million of whom rely on it for drinking water.
Related Articles This Week:
-- House Environmental Committee Told Water Quality Restoration Efforts Need To Be Better Targeted; Important ‘Emerging Contaminants’ Need To Be Addressed; Cuts In Federal Funding Slowing Progress [PaEN]
-- Three Rivers WaterKeeper Announces Intent To Sue US Steel, Irvin Works Plant For Oil Discharges Into The Monongahela River [PaEN]
-- Bipartisan Ohio River Restoration Act Introduced In US Senate By Fetterman, Young [PaEN]
NewsClip:
-- Post-Gazette: DEP Report Finds Southwestern PA Streams Among 37% In State That Are Water Quality Impaired
[Posted: February 11, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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