The Youghiogheny River is being honored as Pennsylvania's River of the Year for 2008, a designation that brings with it an obligation.

Known as "the Yough," (as in Yock), the river flows north for 132 miles, through West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, to McKeesport, where it pours into the Monongahela River. It parallels the trail of the Great Allegheny Passage for its 70 miles in the Keystone State. Canoeists, kayakers, rafters and anglers enjoy this scenic stretch, particularly the frothy rapids and 150-foot-wide, 18-foot-high waterfall -- the focal point at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County.

In announcing the selection, Michael DiBerardinis, Pennsylvania's secretary of conservation and natural resources, recognized the watershed's role in Western Pennsylvania history, its promising recreational future and the local residents and organizations working to improve it. George Washington, for one, traveled through river outposts along its banks during the French and Indian War.

But threats to the waterway's natural beauty persist. Just last month, the Elizabeth Township Sanitary Authority had to be ordered to reduce, and eventually stop, illegally dumping raw sewage into the Yough.

Vigilance is necessary to keep the river clean and safe. When it is, there's no better way to spend a summer day than by taking a ride down the Yough.