High levels of fecal bacteria found in Philadelphia waterways, report says

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new report by PennEnvironment found high levels of fecal bacteria in Pennsylvania waterways, including the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.

The research and policy center looked at E. coli tests at monitoring sites along rivers and creeks across the state, and what it found was “quite shocking.” PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur said there were potentially unsafe levels of E. coli on at least one day at more than half the monitoring sites.

The Delaware River in Upper Bucks County, for example, is a popular spot for tubing; whole flotillas of tubers form on summer weekends. But Masur said you wouldn’t want to do that further south.

“Along the Philadelphia section of the Delaware River, E. coli levels exceeded the standard for health risks at 37 locations out of the 43,” he said.

Masur said it’s the same in the lower Schuylkill River and the Brandywine, Ridley and Neshaminy creeks. He blames storms that carry surface pollutants into waterways and cause sewage overflows, as sewage and stormwater go into the same pipes.

The Philadelphia Water Department releases 12 billion gallons of sewage and stormwater a year into the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers and their tributaries, Masur said. The Water Department said it has reduced its combined sewer overflows by a total of 3 billion gallons since 2011 and remains committed to continuously improving water quality.

Masur said wetlands and other buffers also need protection, along with safeguards against livestock manure and more water monitoring. He said addressing the overall problem will take local, state and federal action.

“We need to invest in repairing and modernizing wastewater and stormwater infrastructure,” he added.