Looking for closest/best place to swim in river (Swissvale: how much, home)

[Dan Sullivan]

The Allegheny is cleaner than the Monongahela. The worst turbulence is behind bridge piers, where rivers converge, and near dams. There have been several drownings at McKeesport, where the Youghiogheny pours into the Monongahela. Never fight turbulence. "Go with the flow" and you will come up in calmer waters. If you are a strong swimmer and use fins, turbulence anywhere else should not be much of a problem.

The Youghiogheny has a stronger current than the other rivers. That means reasonably strong swimmers only, and you have to know where the rapids and falls are. It is also colder, because the Yough Dam discharges out the bottom. (That makes it the best trout stream in Pennsylvania.) I recently read that Elizabeth Township has been cited for dumping excessive sewage into the Yough, and that it will be much cleaner upstream of Sutersville than downstream until the township complies, which will take a year or so.

Boats can be a problem. Divers use orange flags and baloons to warn boaters of their presence. If you stray more than a few feet from shore, you might want to do something similar. You are not as visible to a speedboat as you think you are, and Allegheny County has more recreational boats than any other inland county in the country.

[WestLibertyAve]

Can someone explain how there can be strong undercurrents in the 3 rivers aka the "Pittsburgh Pool"? I always assumed the dams kind of kept the flow of the river at a slow and steady pace but I've always been warned about swimming in the river because of fast flowing water under the surface that can suck you under.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by WestLibertyAve

Can someone explain how there can be strong undercurrents in the 3 rivers aka the "Pittsburgh Pool"? I always assumed the dams kind of kept the flow of the river at a slow and steady pace but I've always been warned about swimming in the river because of fast flowing water under the surface that can suck you under.

I'm not expert, but I think the dams can contribute to the strong undercurrent via the strong waterfalls at the dams plunging water deep down into the river water. The dams don't exist to slow the water down. The dams only exist because parts of the river were shallow, only 12 feet deep. The damns don't slow the water down, they merely caught water like a bathtub but the river is still permitted to flow freely over top of the dams. In other words, I believe the dam falls churn the river water underneith.

[gallacus]

Originally Posted by WestLibertyAve

Can someone explain how there can be strong undercurrents in the 3 rivers aka the "Pittsburgh Pool"? I always assumed the dams kind of kept the flow of the river at a slow and steady pace but I've always been warned about swimming in the river because of fast flowing water under the surface that can suck you under.

On days when the water is very static (almost all summer long) you have nothing to worry about, there's no currents lurking just underneath the surface. In the Spring runoff months, however, the water in the Pittsburgh Pool can flow quite swiftly, and can create undertows as the previous posters had mentioned. A general rule of thumb is if the water is flowing faster than you normally walk, don't swim in it.

[hempfield mania]

There is plenty of "structure", drop offs, boulders, under cut banks, debris, etc. below the surface that you can't see that can create eddies and undertows, even when the surface looks calm.

Summer is definitely the best time to do your swimming but if you are not a strong swimmer, I suggest wearing a ski vest or some other form of floatation.

[h_curtis]

This is an old thread, but there is a pretty cool place to go around Millvale right above the island. If you are some really good swimmer, you could swim around the island and up through the little canal. I think that would be pretty cool. Plenty of swimming done in that canal by kids in the later hours with the Tarzan swings.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by gallacus

On days when the water is very static (almost all summer long) you have nothing to worry about, there's no currents lurking just underneath the surface. In the Spring runoff months, however, the water in the Pittsburgh Pool can flow quite swiftly, and can create undertows as the previous posters had mentioned. A general rule of thumb is if the water is flowing faster than you normally walk, don't swim in it.

That's not true. This type of thinking is how people drown.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

This is an old thread, but there is a pretty cool place to go around Millvale right above the island. If you are some really good swimmer, you could swim around the island and up through the little canal. I think that would be pretty cool. Plenty of swimming done in that canal by kids in the later hours with the Tarzan swings.

I was just talking to a coworker yesterday about that place and the Tarzan swings. She lives in Millvale and has gone there for years where they always have a picnic and swim and has never had any ill effect from the water.
I would be sure to wear swim goggles and shower right away if I swam there or for that matter any other body of water.

[h_curtis]

Originally Posted by rhondee

I was just talking to a coworker yesterday about that place and the Tarzan swings. She lives in Millvale and has gone there for years where they always have a picnic and swim and has never had any ill effect from the water.
I would be sure to wear swim goggles and shower right away if I swam there or for that matter any other body of water.

I swam there and swam across the Allegheny in Oakmont a few times. Yep, all the way across. No problem, but I wouldn't do it when the current is really fast. It isn't for everyone and not everyone should do such a thing, unless you are a real swimmer and understands water well. We used to jump off a train bridge right north of the Hulton Bridge. There is an inlet up that way. I remember an old Indian used to dive off it and do flips and such. He had gray hair back then and was pretty fun to watch. I suspect the river was WAY dirtier back in those days. A little pollution don't bother me non.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by serena15221

I live in the Swissvale/Regent Square area and am a good swimmer. Any suggestions?

Make sure you are up to date on your tetanus shots before you undertake river swimming around here.

Also, watch your p's and q's when a tugboat or other large vessel goes by.

They can really kick up the water.

Be particularly careful near the locks and dams.