Ram Cat Beach

Managed by Youghiogheny Riverkeeper/Mountain Watershed Association

Sponsored by The Mountain Watershed Association Click here to Join or Donate today!

This sampling point is located at Ram Cat Beach in Confluence, PA.

Confluence, Pennsylvania, is where the Youghiogheny River emerges from Youghiogheny Lake, a US Army Corps impoundment, and flows downstream to the "turkeyfoot," an area where Laurel Hill Creek and the Casselman River join the Yough. Just downstream from this confluence is the put-in for the Middle Yough, which is the section between Confluence and Ohiopyle. The section of the Yough downstream from the dam is used for fishing, kayaking, rafting, paddleboarding, and many other activities. Our sampling in Confluence occurs at the beach for the Ramcat put-in for the Middle Yough.

Amenities
Parking: Large parking lot at site with spaces for more than 20 cars.
Restroom: Pit toilets available on site.
Change House: Not available at site.
Life Guards: Not available at site.
Cell Phone Service: Minimal service available at best. Don't rely on having service.
Other: Great Allegheny Passage, a local bicycle and walking trail passes through the site. Fishing is prevalent at the site.

Get directions to this beach

Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on May 25th, 2023. Youghiogheny Riverkeeper/Mountain Watershed Association updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on May 25th, 2023 at 1:53 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

25°C

Mostly clear

Report Pollution

Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Youghiogheny Riverkeeper is a program of the Mountain Watershed Association, and was created to be the public advocate for the Youghiogheny River. Through grassroots efforts, the Riverkeeper defends against pollution, improves water quality, and conserves the ecological character and integrity of the entire region. Mountain Watershed Association will be testing popular swimming, wading, and paddling spots for E. coli so that users can make informed decisions about where to safely recreate! E. coli, and in particular one strain called O157:H7, is an emerging cause of foodborne and waterborne illness.

Our program follows the US EPA standards for recreational primary contact. That standard states that surface waters should not exceed an E. coli level of 126 MPN/100mL on an average.

A beach is marked Green when a sample results do not exceed this criteria.
A beach is marked Red when a sample exceeds this criteria.
A beach is marked Grey when there is no current or reliable water quality information.

Beaches and other designated swimming locations are tested regularly, but areas not designated for swimming (swimming holes, locations along the river) are often not. Most streams in the region will have some measurable level of E. coli, however, by limiting your contact recreation to areas with lower levels you can greatly reduce your risk of water-borne illness.

Throughout the swim season, May 1 to September 30, MWA will take weekly water samples in the Youghiogheny River watershed extending from the mouth of the Yough at McKeesport upstream to Confluence and at several locations on tributaries.

All of this data is easily accessible and updated every Friday on MWA’s website, www.mtwatershed.com and at theswimguide.org. Finally, you can sign up for text alerts to be notified when new data are made available.

Text “YoughSwimmableWaters” (no spaces) to 84483 to subscribe (data and messaging rates may apply)!

Water Quality Graph