Four treatment plants accused of raising bromide levels in Allegheny River

Four treatment plants accused of raising bromide levels in Allegheny River by Bob Bauder and Timothy Puko, November 5, 2011, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority on Friday accused four industrial wastewater treatment plants on the Allegheny River and its tributaries of increasing bromide levels in the river that supplies drinking water to nearly 500,000 people. Stanley States, PWSA’s water quality director, said he suspects the privately owned plants are processing wastewater from Marcellus shale gas drilling operations, which contains bromide, a naturally occurring salty compound that can form cancer-causing agents when it combines with the chlorine in drinking water.