Mon Drinking Water Might be "Brackish"

Pennsylvania environmental officials say that levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the Monongahela River have fluctuated above the water quality standard for taste and exceeded acceptable levels for drinking water. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger says water treatment plants are not equipped to remove the solids and the water may taste "salty" or "brackish." Hanger says if you're concerned you might use bottled water for drinking and preparing foods till the solids decrease. Sources of the solids include sewage treatment plants, stormwater runoff, metal mining, abandoned mine drainage, vegetable processing and agricultural chemical manufacturing.