PFBC introduces water pollution hotline

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

If you’re ever in a situation where you suspect water pollution has taken place on Pennsylvania waters, all you have to do is call.

That’s because the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has introduced a Water Pollution Telephone Hotline.

If something doesn’t look right, PFBC officials are urging people to call 1-855-347-4545 (1-855-FISH-KIL).

PFBC spokesman Eric Levis said on Thursday that the new hotline is something that’s been in the works for some time.

“It’s an issue that’s been in the back of our minds at the commission,” Levis said.

He said that prior to the hotline, PFBC was asking people to call the regional offices throughout the state, and that it wasn’t always easy for people to get through.

“We want to hear about any suspected pollution on Pennsylvania waters,” Levis said. “And we wanted to give people a toll-free number to call.”

While the hotline wasn’t solely introduced based on more Marcellus shale exploration in the state, it was a part of it.

“It’s safe to say that Marcellus shale exploration was part of the thinking behind the hotline,” Levis said. “We want to protect the resource.”

After calls are handled through the Harrisburg office, they will be dispatched to local Waterways Conservation Officers for investigation.

And not only will local law enforcement handle the calls, the PFBC works hand-in-hand with the Department of Environmental Protection to investigate.

If pollution is found to have contaminated waters and a guilty party is identified, fines can be levied against those at fault.

Levis said that he feels the hotline will have a positive result, and that it give people a way to assist the commission.

“We can’t be everywhere, and the hotline helps us better protect out aquatic resources,” Levis said.

Waterways Conservation Officer Kadin Thompson, who patrols Wyoming County and parts of Susquehanna County, said that there are laws in the Fish and Boat Commission Code that try to protect the waterways.

He noted that calls relating to water pollution are fairly common, and are something that the PFBC handles on a regular basis.

“I would say I handle a few calls per month,” Thompson said.

He said that occasionally the PFBC will work directly with DEP if water samples and testing are necessary, as most water testing is done through DEP’s testing facility.

Thompson said that he agrees with the idea of a hotline, as it gives citizens another tool to help keep PA’s waters safe and clean.

“All people have to do is pick up the phone,” Thompson said.

For more information about the new hotline, visit www.fishandboat.com.