In case you missed it!
13 August 2025
This April Mountain Watershed Affiliation (MWA) discovered lead and heavy metallic air pollution in Blue Gap Creek in Somerset County, a surprising discovery as a result of the creek is an Distinctive Worth waterway with clear water and ample stream life.
As described in Paradise Misplaced: Heavy metallic contamination (together with lead) has been present in Blue Gap Creek, Forbes State Forest, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, MWA collected water samples at many areas alongside the creek and despatched them in for testing. The lab discovered lead, cadmium, aluminum, zinc, and manganese and instructed MWA, “Our outcomes point out that the best concentrations of lead have been discovered close to the Laurel Highlands Climbing Path (LHHT).”
At that sampling location the lead focus was 30 occasions the lead present in Flint, Michigan in 2014! As MWA wrote:
That is very regarding because of the proximity of the Grindle Ridge Shelter Space, the place many hikers spend the night time. The water pumps on the shelter areas are recognized to have excessive iron concentrations, so hikers typically use transportable water filters at close by streams for consuming water. Blue Gap Creek is among the closest everlasting water sources to the Grindle Ridge Shelters. Different hikers and several other of our workers members have used this supply whereas recreating on the LHHT within the final couple years.
Grindle Ridge Shelter space is circled on this portion of the Laurel Highlans Climbing Path map.
Apparently the state knew about issues in Blue Gap Creek for maybe a 12 months however no indicators have been posted by the state businesses. MWA writes in Blue Gap Creek: FAQ & Updates: “DEP wasn’t conscious that hikers have been utilizing the creek for consuming water [since] the company doesn’t advocate consuming floor water for any purpose.” Uh oh!
Thankfully MWA’s discovery result in an investigation and on 18 July MWA wrote“
The Stable Waste Dept at DEP has issued a Discover of Violation (NOV) to Highlands Sporting Clays for failure to adjust to the Taking pictures Vary Stewardship Greatest Administration Practices, ensuing within the contamination of Blue Gap Creek with Lead, Cadmium, Aluminum, Zinc, and Manganese. …
Highlands Sporting Clays has been finishing preliminary web site remediation, which is permissible underneath the Taking pictures Vary Stewardship plan. These efforts embrace eradicating the spent shot wads and clay pigeon particles from the course floor and making use of lime and phosphorus to scale back the quantity of poisons leaching into Blue Gap Creek.
— MWA: PA DEP points Discover of Violation for Blue Gap Creek air pollution
Right here’s how shut Highlands Sporting Clays is to the Laurel Highlands Climbing Path and Grindle Ridge Shelters. The map even reveals Blue Gap Creek starting close to the sporting membership.
So the place did the lead come from?
From spent bullets, the identical supply of lead that kills bald eagles and different birds of prey.
