Growing up, one of my favorite movies was “A River Runs Through It,” with Brad Pitt and Robert Redford. I was drawn in by the beauty and peacefulness of fly fishing: being outside by the water, the art of casting a perfect line, and getting to catch your own delicious food. There was something simple and perfect about fishing.

Here in Chestnut Hill, we’re blessed with beautiful waterways like the Wissahickon Creek, where generations of families have fished, swum, explored nature and enjoyed our local gem. It’s part of the same Fairmount Park that I grew up getting lost in with my best friend Troy every weekend as a kid.

But imagine taking your own child to the Wissahickon, catching a fish together, and then learning that it’s too contaminated to eat. (Chestnut Hill Local, Oct. 15, “Pa. issues ‘do not eat’ advisory, cancels Wissahickon trout stocking.”)

That’s now our reality.

Earlier this month, Pennsylvania issued a “Do Not Eat” advisory for all fish caught in the Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries after testing revealed elevated levels of PFOS, one of a group of toxic substances known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission also canceled a planned trout stocking in the creek because of the contamination.

Unfortunately, the problem goes far beyond the Wissahickon.

A new report released by PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and its partners found PFAS in 96% of Pennsylvania waterways tested and 91% of those tested in New Jersey.

If we’re being honest, nobody was lining up to drink straight from the creek. But knowing our rivers and streams are contaminated with these dangerous “forever chemicals” is disturbing.

As a lifelong Philadelphian, healthcare provider and state representative, I believe these findings should be a wake-up call for Pennsylvania.

PFAS are called forever chemicals because they break down extremely slowly in the environment. They can accumulate in our bodies, waterways, soil and wildlife.

As a nurse practitioner, I spend most of my shifts helping people manage illnesses that might have been prevented. I know that exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to cancer, elevated cholesterol, weakened immune responses, pregnancy complications and developmental problems in kids.

We need to stop bearing the consequences of this pollution and start stopping it at the source.

We already know many of the ways these chemicals enter our environment, including consumer products, firefighting foam, industrial discharges and contaminated sewage sludge spread on farmland. And we already have solutions.

That’s why I’m helping lead legislation to ban PFAS-containing pesticides when safer alternatives are available. I’m also a co-prime sponsor of House Bill 2145, bipartisan legislation led by Rep. Greg Scott that would ban PFAS in certain everyday products, including cosmetics, dental floss, menstrual products and children’s products. It passed the Pennsylvania House by an overwhelming 188-13 vote.

I’m also a co-sponsor of House Bill 1261, bipartisan legislation by Reps. Brian Munroe and Zach Mako to phase out PFAS-containing firefighting foam. Similar legislation recently passed the state Senate 48-1.

Protecting our families from forever chemicals isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. There’s overwhelming bipartisan agreement that we need to act.

We need to investigate whether industrial polluters upstream are contributing to the contamination, and hold anyone breaking the law accountable. We also need to address PFAS in sewage sludge that’s spread on Pennsylvania farmland as fertilizer. Our Department of Environmental Protection is working on new restrictions, but the proposed approach focuses on just a small fraction of the thousands of PFAS chemicals. We need stronger, more comprehensive protections to keep these chemicals out of our soil, water, and food.

Pennsylvania has a proud industrial history, and we can continue supporting good jobs without sacrificing clean water or public health. These things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Clean water shouldn’t be a luxury. And pollution shouldn’t be the price of doing business.

“A River Runs Through It” was set nearly a century ago. But my kids and yours deserve those same simple joys of fishing and being out in nature, without having to worry about being poisoned by toxic chemicals.

Tarik Khan is a Democrat who represents the state’s 194th District, including Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Manayunk, Roxborough and Wissahickon.