PITTSBURGH, Pa. — A river essential to Pittsburgh’s landscape has won Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year.
The public voted on three nominated waterways and chose the Allegheny River as the best. Out of the over 20,000 votes cast, the Allegheny River received 8,307 of them. The Youghiogheny River came in second with 7,212 votes and the Lackawaxen River finished third with 4,740 votes.
“We are excited to honor the Allegheny River as Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year, and I cannot wait to celebrate this incredible river during a sojourn later this year,” said Cindy Adams Dunn, of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “Congratulations to Three Rivers Waterkeeper for the successful campaign and earning this prestigious honor. Thank you to everyone who voted in this wonderful competition highlighting one of our most precious natural resources.”
The Allegheny River starts as a stream in Potter County, dips briefly into New York, then crosses six Western Pennsylvania counties before ending in Pittsburgh where it meets the Monongahela River and flows into the Ohio River.
Officials say the river provides drinking water to over a million people and the biodiversity that surrounds it has drawn communities to its shores for centuries. The river is now navigable for barges and used for recreational activities like swimming and fishing.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper nominated the Allegheny River and as a result of nominating the winning waterway, earned a $10,000 Leadership Grant to help fund a year full of activities celebrating the river’s new accolade.
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