Unnatural Green Tint Causing Environmental Concerns In Montour Trail's Creek
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There are some environmental concerns about the creek that runs along the popular Montour Trail, that's because something is causing part of it to turn an unnatural tint of green.
"It's definitely not normal," Waterways Conservation Officer Matthew Raetsch said. "It may have something to do with the amount of rainfall we've had over the past month or so."
Raetsch says he decided to see what's actually in the water after he received several calls from people who use the trail and noticed the emerald tinge.
"The creek is discolored. It looked like it was a white, milky substance, so I came down here to investigate and we're working on it with the DEP [Department of Environmental Protection]," said Raetsch.
They collected several samples on Monday for testing.
Those who frequent the Montour Trail say they started to see the color change in the past two to three weeks.
"It's not an every section. It comes and goes, some it's darker and some it's lighter," said Zachary Caresani, who uses the Montour Trail.
"I first thought maybe the weather is changing; it was after the big thaw after the last snow we had. I thought maybe it was some sentiment coming down. I wondered about it, but I'm just hoping it will all get back to normal soon," said Noor Khan, of Moon Township.
That's Raetsch's goal, too. And it's a big concern because the water is slated to be stocked soon with trout for fisherman. But that won't happen until the tests come back.
"It's something we're looking into; and obviously, we take it very seriously," Raetsch said.
