News You Should Know - Schuylkill Now Actually Killing

It's probably usually a relatively good idea to avoid the Schuylkill River and the Wissahickon Creek, but it's currently even more important, due to the fact that there was a "toxic discharge" of some kind - or at least, that's the graphic way they put it on XPN this morning - which killed a bunch of fish in Montgomery County, and might poison you or your pets as well. To be safe, the city has issued a health advisory and they're telling everybody to avoid swimming, splashing, fishing, boating, rowing, or generally doing anything at all "in the Wissahickon and in the Schuylkill in the area below where it meets the Wissahickon" until further notice. Drinking and bathing in the city water is still safe (or at least as safe as it always was), but the fate of tomorrow's Schuylkill Navy Regatta and next weekend's triathlon (which includes a swimming portion, obviously) are in question. Check for updates at Philly RiverCast, or call the city Water Department at 215-685-6300 if you have questions.

Image Credit: University of Maryland