Groups said Pa. hatchery violates pollution limits
HARRISBURG — Environmental advocacy groups say a Pennsylvania state fish hatchery on a Susquehanna River tributary is routinely violating its permitted pollution limits and hurting the Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort.
Philadelphia-based PennEnvironment and the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project said Thursday records show the Bellefonte hatchery in Centre County frequently violates limits for nitrogen, phosphorus, total suspended solids and oxygen-consuming substances.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which owns the hatchery, says it couldn’t immediately respond while staff collect facts and review agency documents.
The groups say the pollutants harm aquatic life and set back Pennsylvania’s ability to comply with the requirements of a Chesapeake Bay cleanup. They also say the hatchery periodically bypasses its micro-filter wastewater treatment system.
The commission’s website says the hatchery produces or stocks four trout species.