Springs are a natural source of fresh, cold, flowing water that have undoubtedly attracted humans to them for millennia. Entire communities have been formed around springs, and many homes built before the 20th century were purposely built near springs.
MWA takes samples at various publicly accessible springs in and around the Youghiogheny River watershed each quarter to assess if they are up to drinking water standards. These springs are assumed to be potable (safe to drink) by the communities around them, but most, if not all, have no easily accessible record of their water quality to make that decision.
Please read the results and descriptions of the parameters before drinking. Keep in mind that our testing shows a snapshot of water conditions on the day we took the samples. Water quality is constantly changing, so use your best judgement!
We will continue to update this page as we do quarterly water sampling at these Roadside Spring locations. If you have any questions, please email Taylor@mtwatershed.com or call 724-455-4200 ext. 5#.
Quarterly Roadside Springs Report
🟢 = safe | = do not drink
Spring Site | Month Sampled | Overall Quality | Comments | Acidity to pH 8.3 (mg/L CaCO3) | Specific Conductance (umhos/cm) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EPA Drinking Water Standards | - | - | - | - | - |
Bando Road | June | 🔴 | E. coli present | -49 | 235 |
Red Dog | June | 🔴 | E. coli present | -57 | 198 |
Ore Mines Drill | June | 🔴 | E. coli present | -145 | 442 |
Beck Springs | June | 🔴 | E. coli present | -10 | 84 |
Blue Hole | June | 🔴 | E. coli present | -5 | 124 |
Summit | June | 🟢 | 4 | 282 |
The Springs We Sample
Spring Parameter Explanations
These parameters were chosen since they are some of the common contaminants in waters of our local area. Our sample results are compared to the EPA’s Primary and Secondary Standards (some parameters do not have an EPA standard) to determine “red”—unsafe, “green”—safe status. These are strict safety standards, and we provide explanations of each parameter so you can properly use your judgement when getting water from these springs.
Acidity
Water’s resistance to upward changes in pH—becoming more alkaline.
Alkilinity
Water’s resistance to downward changes in pH—becoming more acidic.
pH
Measured on a scale of 0-14, this number tells how acidic or alkaline water is. pH less than 7 is acidic, pH of 7 is neutral, pH higher than 7 is alkaline.
TSS (Total Suspended Solids)
Specific Conductance
This is a measure of water’s ability to conduct electricity. A higher or lower conductivity correlates to a higher or lower amount of dissolved minerals and metals in the water like calcium or iron. The more minerals and/or metals that are dissolved within the water, the higher the specific conductivity.
Sulfate
Aluminum
Iron
E. Coli
Total Coliform
Manganese