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NW Community Information

McDannell Run

The Department periodically assesses the quality of the surface waters of the Commonwealth to determine if they are attaining their protected uses under Pennsylvania's Chapter 93 Water Quality Standards. These protected uses are aquatic life, potable water, recreation and fish consumption. The results of these assessments are reported on a biannual basis as part of Pennsylvania's Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report.

Unnamed tributary to Lake Erie 62412, locally known as McDannell Run, is a small, 2.5 mile long urbanized stream that flows into Lake Erie roughly 1.3 miles east of the Presque Isle peninsula. The stream was last assessed in 2001 to determine whether or not it was attaining its protected aquatic life uses – in this case use by warm water fishes and other aquatic organisms adapted to life in warm water habitats. Based on the Department's insect-based rapid bioassessment methods in place at the time, McDannell Run was found to be attaining this protected use.

More recently, water quality sampling was conducted on McDannell Run on 22 September 2016. The stream was evaluated for a standardized list of water quality parameters, including solids, nutrients, and metals. The results of this sampling (attached) indicate that the water quality of McDannell Run was in compliance with the Department's Water Quality Standards at that time and was comparable to adjacent tributary streams.