Local group working to remove car parts from Allegheny River

A massive cleanup is underway along the Allegheny River.

Crews pulled dozens of car parts from the water on Tuesday afternoon. Channel 11 was there as experts scraped the bottom of the river and came up with things like old axles and fenders.

Experts from environmental groups Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Living Land and Waters told Channel 11 that some of the vehicles have been in the Allegheny River for decades, posing a serious hazard to wildlife and anyone who drinks or enjoys the water.

“They have been down there so long that you can poke through the metal of what used to be the frame,” Kallie Schaser with Living Lands and Water said.

The groups believe they’ve pulled at least 40 to 50 cars from the river and say there are dozens more.

Channel 11 asked how the cars ended up here in the first place. We were surprised to learn that not all of these vehicles were dumped.

“Where we are right now used to be parking and so cars were down here so what EMS River rescue said just from their experience they were thinking that a lot of these were from flooding, and that the cars would get pulled in,” Schaser said.

Three Rivers Waterkeeper told Channel 11 that this project has been in the works for nearly a year but recently received the help it needed from an out-of-town partner, Living Land and Waters, and additional funding.

“With the cars down there, even some of the old ones there will still be holding oil in their axles or lead in the batteries plastic is still a thing that people are really concerned about,” Evan Clark, Three Rivers Waterkeeper captain, said.

Crews plan to return Wednesday and will work until likely mid-next week.

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