Brandywine Creek carried E. coli above the level the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses to guide no-swim orders on at least one of five days sampled in 2024 and 2025, according to a PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center report released Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The finding is a direct health warning for West Chester-area residents who kayak, tube or swim in the creek during summer months. Swimming in water contaminated with E. coli can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease, ear and eye infections and skin rashes.
"The concern is that when folks are swimming or participating in other recreational activities in contaminated water, whether that's paddling ... whether that's letting their dogs wade into the creek, then you're coming into contact with water that can get you sick," Stephanie Wein, clean water and conservation advocate for PennEnvironment, told VISTA.Today.
Statewide picture
The report analyzed water-quality data from 653 monitoring locations across Pennsylvania. Roughly 55% of those sites recorded potentially unsafe E. coli levels on at least one testing day, and 39% exceeded safe thresholds on at least one-quarter of the days sampled.
A separate MyChesCo report published Aug. 14 on the same PennEnvironment analysis noted that monitored portions of Brandywine Creek and Big Elk Creek in Chester County registered potentially unsafe fecal bacteria levels on 100% of testing days. That figure may reflect a different monitoring station than the one cited by WHYY, which reported the one-in-five-days result.
No swim ban is active.
No Chester County Health Department statement or local swim advisory specific to Brandywine Creek has been issued.
What's causing it
Fecal bacteria can enter waterways through sewage spills and overflows, stormwater runoff and failing septic systems, according to the report. Aging sewer infrastructure is a primary driver, particularly in older communities where stormwater and sewage share the same underground pipes. During heavy rain, those combined systems can overflow, spilling untreated sewage into creeks and rivers.
Local funding gap
The contamination finding arrives as West Chester Borough faces a gap in stormwater funding. In April, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the Borough's Stream Protection Fee was a tax, not a fee, and the Borough stopped collecting it from all payers.
Borough Manager Sean Metrick said in an Aug. 3 Hello, West Chester report that stormwater improvements are mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection, adding that the Borough has been spending an average of more than $700,000 per year on capital projects and $50,000 to $250,000 on maintenance.
As of May, the Stream Protection Fund had a $2.3 million balance. Borough Council scheduled work sessions on alternative funding for August, September and October; the first session was set for Aug. 18, but no outcome has been reported.
What residents should know
The PennEnvironment data reflects testing conducted in 2024 and 2025, not current conditions. Residents who recreate on the creek should check local water-quality advisories before heading out, particularly after heavy rain when overflow risk is highest.
