WASHINGTON (TNS) — Members of Western Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation urged the Coast Guard Monday to restore staffing and maintain equipment levels at its Pittsburgh station, which has responsibility over the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.

The lawmakers expressed concern over what they said was a “the reduction of Coast Guard personnel and the potential removal of equipment and vessels” at the station, located in Bridgeville. The station was emptied of personnel earlier this summer, including seven on active-duty and nine reservists sent to other units. Members and small boats were reassigned elsewhere.

“This decision will undoubtedly have steep economic costs for southwestern Pennsylvania,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard commandant. “We must keep this waterway safe and navigable to protect the region’s economy and way of life.”

U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, D-Peters, led the effort and was joined by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre; Mike Kelly, R-Butler; Summer Lee, D-Swissvale; and Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency in March proposed temporarily pausing boat operations at the Pittsburgh facility and five other stations because of crew shortages.

According to the lawmakers, the station is responsible for 328 miles of navigable waterways, handles search and rescue operations, safeguards bridges and other infrastructure, protects the rivers from pollution and responds to natural disasters and threats.