High lead levels found were found in Blue Hole Creek. Officials believe they found the source.
In May, water testing by the Mountain Watershed Association revealed Blue Hole Creek, which runs through Forbes State Forest in Saltlick Township, had high lead levels.
In a three-page notice of violation letter, sent on July 11th, the DEP cites Highlands Sporting Clays shooting range as the source for all the lead showing up in the nearby creek.
In this letter, the DEP said, "The Department has observed significant quantities of lead shot on Highland Sporting Clays' property, and that the best management practices … have not been implemented to prevent runoff contamination from the lead shot to Blue Hole Creek."
The letter goes on to describe the violations against Highland Sporting Clays, as well as outline what the organization needs to address going forward, including:
Recent water testing at the popular swimming and fishing spot in Somerset County revealed there was 425 parts per billion lead content in the water, up from 370 parts per billion in May. The acceptable amount of lead in water is zero parts per billion.
KDKA reached out to Highlands Sporting Clays about this letter several times on Thursday and Friday, but did not hear back.
KDKA did connect with Eric Harder, a Youghiogheny riverkeeper with the Mountain Watershed Association. He said there are several things Highlands Sporting Clays can do, along with their cleanup effort.
"The next step would be to have Highlands switch over from a lead shot to a steel shot. And there have been comments like 'oh, that's more expensive' or 'that's harder on the firearm,'" Harder said. "And that all comes back to a monetary problem. It's hard to put a value on clean water."
Harder says that the Mountain Water Shed is still testing and monitoring the waters of Blue Hole Creek biweekly. And he says his organization has been in close contact with the DEP on this issue and that the DEP tells them that Highland Sporting Clays has responded in a positive manner.
"We do feel that it's a good thing to point out who this polluter is and hold them accountable," said Harder. "But again, we also think it is great that Highland Sporting Clays is already acknowledging that problem."
When KDKA was last at Blue Hole Creek in May, there were signs all over this area warning people about the danger of the lead in the water. The signs, posted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, seem to be gone.
The important thing to know is that if you find yourself by Blue Hole Creek, do not drink or let your pets drink the water, and if you find yourself in the water, exercise extreme caution.
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