Mountain Watershed Association To Hold Aug. 1 Community Remembrance Event For Blue Hole Creek, Somerset County, Now Contaminated With Lead From Shooting Range

The Mountain Watershed Association is hosting a community remembrance event on August 1, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the swimming hole on Blue Hole Creek in Forbes State Forest, in Somerset County.  

Due to upstream pollution from a shooting range owned by Highland Ventures, LLC, Blue Hole Creek is now listed as impaired. 

MWA's testing has shown lead levels in the creek as high as 400 parts per billion. The water has also been acidic.

Blue Hole Creek was at one time an Exceptional Value waterway. The creek was a reliable source of drinking water for backpackers on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. 

Further downstream, it provided plentiful wild trout for anglers. 

The actual “Blue Hole” is a deep, rock-lined swimming hole where locals and visitors alike would go to escape the summer heat.

This once-pristine stream is now contaminated with lead and other heavy metals. 

The Association said the Department of Environmental Protection has not taken action to hold the shooting range owner Highland Ventures, LLC accountable for the contamination. 

The Mountain Watershed Association reported lead and heavy metal contamination in Blue Hole Creek in April 2025. Read more here.

In July 2025, Highlands Ventures received a notice of violation for failing to comply with federally outlined Shooting Range Stewardship Best Management Practices.  Read more here.

MWA wasn’t the first to report issues in the creek. DEP received complaints about impacts caused from Highlands Sporting Clays, the prior owner, as early as 2021, and water quality testing showed contamination in 2023. Read more here.

Join The Remembrance

MWA invites the community to join a remembrance ceremony along the creek on August 1 at 10:00 a.m. 

There will be a few short readings and a discussion of the organization’s latest water testing. Then participants are invited to share stories and thoughts about the creek. 

Click Here to RSVP online. The event is limited to 40 people due to parking constraints.

The meet up location directions--

-- Drive and Park at Blue Hole swimming area at 10:00 am (limited parking)

-- Park at the CCC Camp S-98 at 9:15 am, bike to and from Blue Hole (3 miles roundtrip on gravel roads)

Please note this event will practice Leave No Trace principles,so plan to pack in and out what you bring. There are no trash or bathroom facilities on site. 

Plan to dress for the weather and bring anything you might need – water, snacks, bug spray, etc.

Contact DEP

Want to help, but can’t attend? Write a letter to DEP and tell them to take action now to hold the polluter accountable! 

Click Here to take action.

The Mountain Watershed Association is a non-profit organization with the mission to protect, preserve and restore the Youghiogheny River watershed and its broader communities through conservation, recreation, education, and advocacy.

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[Posted: July 30, 2026]  PA Environment Digest