Department of Environmental Protection

A warehouse and wetland sewer project is at the center of a lawsuit that could impact the entire Poconos region.

For the past ten years, Tammy Saltzman says a revolting smell permeates her home from a neighboring biosolids facility.

Pennsylvania American Water has completed dredging Roaring Brook Creek for sediment that was accidentally released into the water by the utility in early February.

About 70 people from around the Poconos begged the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to stop the region’s newest warehouse.

Pennsylvania American Water will not pay a state penalty for polluting Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna River. Instead, the utility company will put money back in the community.

College student Mariam Bangurah is scared for her niece and nephew as a warehouse development looms in her backyard.

Pennsylvania American Water (PAW) is legally required to restore Roaring Brook dam after sediment polluted the Lackawanna River.In February, the water company caused murky sediment to pollute the Dunmore No.7 dam during a $17 million dollar renovation project.PAW violated the state’s Clean streams Law and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ordered the company to remove the sediment and study its lasting effects on Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna River on June 20.The DEP ordered PAW to complete the following:Implement their plan of action to clean the sediment, approved by DEP on April 18, 2024Install a staff gauge at the Cedar Avenue location to monitor sediment accumulation; the gauge must be inspected every two weeks and any accumulated sediment must be removedSubmit sediment removal reports to the DEP and reevaluate Roaring Brook for additional sediment removalContinue sediment removal activities until 12 months after the Dunmore No. 7 damproject is completedSubmit a plan of study on the cause and effects to Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna RiverPAW must also start a ‘Community Environmental Project,’ which will include handicap access and educational signage on the local ecosystem. The project is expected to cost over $300,000, which covers what a civil penalty would cost PAW, according to the DEP.The agreement gives PAW 120 days to apply for the needed permits to complete the project and 45 days for construction to start after receiving the permits.

Lakeland School District reported high levels of PFAS to students and families in May. The school administration says a long-term fix depends water treatment permits. Other schools in Luzerne County exceeded federal "forever chemical" standards.

North Centre Township’s largest mobile home community is investigating its water supply after finding PFAS levels over 110 times state regulations. But the community’s soil may be to blame.

Community organizers fundraised to appeal a cryptocurrency company’s request for a tire-burning permit.