A

traveling aquarium was

parked along Morgan-

town’s rail-trail Wednes-

day, giving locals a

glimpse into the local fish

right in their backyard

waters.

Brought to town by the

Ohio River Valley Water

Sanitation Commission

and its educational non-

profit, the Foundation for

Ohio River Education,

a variety of fish caught

downstream in the

Monongahela River drew

families, students and

scientists.

“This is the perfect

place and time to host

an event like this,” said

Bridget Borrowdale, an

aquatic biologist with

ORSANCO and lead co-

ordinator of its mobile

aquarium program. “We

are holding our quar-

terly commission meet-

ing here, our chair is

stepping down, and it

is just a meaningful op-

portunity to connect the

community with what is

living right here in their

river.”

The decision to host

this event in Morgan-

town was strategic, explained Annette Shu-

mard, ORSANCO’s direc-

tor of communications

and executive director of

FORE.

“Because we have

eight signatory states in

our compact, we rotate

our quarterly meetings

around the basin,” Shu-

mard said. “When I saw

we were meeting right

along the Monongahela

River, I knew we had to do

something more.”

ORSANCO, based in

Cincinnati, has mon-

itored water quality

throughout the Ohio Riv-

er, including tributaries

like the Monongahela

River, for more than 75

years. In 1957, a study

on a particular stretch

of water found only two

fish. Recent studies in the

same area are now show-

ing more than 42 species

and more than 8,000 fish.

“That is real progress,”

Borrowdale said. “And it

proves that policy, science

and public engagement

make a difference.”

“I have heard so many

people walk up and say,

‘Wait, that is in there?’”

Shumard said laughing.

“They can not believe the

diversity. It is like a light

bulb goes off.”

One of the fish was a

river redhorse, a species

highly sensitive to pollu-

tion. The abundance of

this fish has shown the

improvement of water

quality.

“People often assume

if a river looks brown, it

must be dirty,” said Nicho-

las Callahan, ORSANCO’s

environmental education

and outreach coordinator.

“But brown water usually

just means sediment. It is

what you can not see that

usually tells the real story

about water quality.”

Besides the aquarium,

the event featured educa-

tional booths, rock paint-

ing for kids, and a celebra-

tion of the regional effort

in building river steward-

ship.

Changing perception

and building a movement,

Shumard explained, is

just part of the goal.

“There is a strange,

outdated perception that

the Ohio River is filthy or

unusable,” she said. “But,

it is a source of drinking

water for millions. It is a

place where people boat,

fish, and swim. It is beau-

tiful and it deserserves

the same love as other

places.”

ORSANCO also holds

the Ohio River Sweep, an

annual litter cleanup now

open to any community

within the basin. Any-

one can request free sup-

plies, which include bags,

gloves, trash grabbers

and a T-shirt.

“This is making it easy

for people to get involved,”

Callahan said. “You do

not have to be a scientist

to make a difference.”

The fish in the aquari-

um are released back into

the Monongahela after

the event and data is tak-

en. Their brief display

helps develop a picture of

what is out there, as well

as establishing a lasting

impression.

“What we do matters,”

Borrowdale said. “And

events like this remind

people that clean water is

not just about policy and

data — it is about life. It is

about the pride in where

you live.”