On April 18th, 2026, the West Virginia Water Research
Institute held its third annual Monongahela River Sweep. This year had the
biggest turnout ever with 101 volunteers including WVU students, staff and
members of the Morgantown community - all working together to remove debris
from the Monongahela River and surrounding areas. As a part Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission’s
(ORSANCO) Ohio River Sweep of Season, and in collaboration with the Ohio
River Basin Alliance’s Ohio
River Basin campaign, the Three
Rivers Quest (3RQ) Common Waters Program, at the West Virginia Water Research Institute(WVWRI),
organized the event with the support from Ascend
WV.
3 Rivers QUEST's latest research on long-term water quality trends in the Monongahela River Basin has recently been published with the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) in a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. WVWRI's very own student worker, Sarah Nelson is featured on the cover!
On May 10th, 2025, the West Virginia Water Research Institute held its second annual Mon River Sweep, which had a turn out of around 70 volunteers, including WVU students, staff, and members of the Morgantown community. As part of Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission’s (ORSANCO) Ohio River Sweep Season, the Three Rivers Quest (3RQ) Common Waters Program, housed at the West Virginia Water Research Institute(WVWRI), organized the event with help from Ascend WV for a 5 hour clean up, both on and off the water. Volunteers had the opportunity to collect trash on foot and by kayaking.
"Since June of 2024, West Virginia is experiencing one of the most severe droughts in a quarter-century, with water supplies and soil moisture failing to recover fully from prior dry spells. As we confront these environmental challenges, understanding the interaction between drought and water quality has never been more important."
Private support from the Colcom Foundation for West Virginia University and the West Virginia Water Research Institute is providing $3.5 million in financial resources to help bolster environmental sustainability and water research efforts at WVU and throughout the region.