Air and Water Quality

The health and safety of our students, our faculty and staff, and the entire Slippery Rock community is always a key priority. Since the train derailment on Feb. 3, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, 40 miles southwest of Slippery Rock University, SRU’s Department of Environmental Health & Safety/Emergency Management has been in regular communication with the PA Department of Environmental Protection and the PA Department of Health, the public agencies of jurisdiction for environmental and public health in Pennsylvania. So far, we have received no information indicating the air or water in the area around the University has been impacted by the events in East Palestine. By all measures available to us, the air is safe to breathe and the water is safe to drink.

The source for the water in Slippery Rock is a well located on Hines Road and is supplied by the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority. The well is located more than 40 miles upstream from East Palestine. As of Feb. 21, the SRMA “continues to diligently monitor our water supply for abnormities as well as to ensure compliance with all PA DEP requirements and regulations. The SRMWA water samples show no quality concerns.”

As we continue to monitor our water quality, it’s important to note that Slippery Rock’s water typically has a high TDS level. This has always been the case due to the large amount of limestone in the area. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids and refers to the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts in the water. The levels of TDS in our drinking water are not a health hazard, but they do contribute to our local water’s taste. Parts per million is the measurement used for measuring TDS level in the water. As the TDS levels get higher, the taste of the water is negatively impacted. According to the EPA secondary drinking water regulations, 500 ppm in the drinking water is the maximum amount of TDS to maintain the quality of taste. Any measurement higher than 1000 ppm is considered unsafe.

If you have further questions about Slippery Rock’s water quality, please contact:

Slippery Rock Municipal Water Authority
724.794.6552
www.srmaws.com

SRU’s Department of Environmental Health & Safety/Emergency Management maintains close contact with local and state environmental and emergency management agencies to ensure we receive the most accurate and up-to-date information on the situation. We will continue to share more information as it becomes available and will update this page accordingly.

The following resources also provide more information on the situation:

Air and Water Quality

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