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Monongahela Wins 2013 River Of The Year

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Monongahela River has been announced as the 2013 Pennsylvania river of the year following public, and online voting across the state.

The Mon flows through Green, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties in Western Pennsylvania.

For the third year in a row, public voting determined the selection from among six candidates for River of the Year honors. Among 25,450 ballots cast, the Monongahela River received 8,156 votes.

"Like so many of our great state rivers once sullied by mine drainage and other pollution, the Monongahela is surging back as a vital link to unlimited recreational potential and rich natural and historical resources," Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan said. "From the West Virginia border to the heart of Pittsburgh, visitors are rediscovering our newest River of the Year and the scores of historic town and villages it showcases."

The five other finalists and total votes received were: Schuylkill River (8,010); Lackawanna River (5,286); Kiskiminetas River (2,310); Swatara Creek (1,213); and Juniata River (475).

DCNR and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, or POWR, administer the River of the Year program. Local organizations submit nominations.
POWR also helps organize and support local watershed associations, as well as the groups who lead a dozen sojourns on rivers around the state each year.

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