Riverkeeper, along with partners from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Queens College, have been conducting water quality studies aboard the Riverkeeper patrol boat. The primary goal of the project is to characterize and report on the highly variable conditions of the Hudson River Estuary through testing for sewage indicating microorganisms, oxygen and turbidity levels, and other indicators of water quality. Samples are taken from over 75 sites from New York Harbor to north of the federal dam at Troy.
According to John Lipscomb, Patrol Boat Captain for Riverkeeper, "The primary focus of this study is to help educate the public about sewage impacts to the river and to begin answering the question, 'Is the Hudson 'swimmable?'"
To achieve this, Riverkeeper samples the river for sewage contamination, specifically Enterococcus, an indicator of untreated sewage. The results are varied. On average, the Hudson fails to meet federal water quality standards for swimming one-and-a-half days per week, and it is sometimes difficult to predict when or where high levels of sewage contaminants will be found.
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How did our local sites fare?
"Some good, some not so good," revealed Lipscomb.
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The "best" site – mid-channel near the Tappan Zee Bridge – had acceptable levels of Enterococcus on 38 of 42 sample days.
"But," added Lipscomb, "that is where the tidal current runs the strongest and the river is at its deepest – around 45 feet. It is when we sample closer to shore that we find more hot spots of contamination. Remember that the source of the contamination is from our villages and waste water infrastructure. These shore areas are where the public is boating, fishing, kayaking and yes, swimming."
Below are the results of the data obtained from the three local sampling sites:
Tappan Zee /mid-channel
42 samples taken since September 2006
38 acceptable
1 possible risk (Enterococcus count between 35 and 104/100m)
3 unacceptable (Enterococcus count more than 104/100ml)
7 percent unacceptable
Highest count Riverkeeper has measured at this site was 252/100ml
About this site: This deepwater site north of the Tappan Zee Bridge has boating, kayaking and fishing.
Tarrytown Marina
9 samples taken since August 2008
3 acceptable
1 possible risk
5 unacceptable
55 percent unacceptable
Highest count Riverkeeper has measured at this site was > 24,196/100ml (too high to measure with on-board lab).
About this site: This large marina has boating, kayaking and fishing.
and Pocantico River
20 samples taken since July 2008
16 acceptable
1 possible risk
3 unacceptable
15 percent unacceptable
Highest count Riverkeeper has measured at this site was 8,664/100ml
About this site: This beach, located at a public park in Sleepy Hollow, was once a public swimming beach. While the bathhouse remains, swimming is now prohibited. A small private boat club and official swimming beach are approximately 400 yards north of the sample site. Site uses include boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming.
What about the extreme counts at the Tarrytown Marina?
Harbor Master Kevin Lustyik said, "Some people might assume that these counts are due to boaters flushing their heads (marine sanitation system) overboard, but that is most definitely not the case. In fact, the Tarrytown Village code expressly prohibits such discharge. I am required to provide each boater with a dye tablet to be placed in the holding tank of each boat to detect any illicit discharge."
Some possible sources for these intermittent high levels of Enterococcus, according to Lipscomb, could be contamination coming from Andre Brook, a small tributary to the Hudson that enters at the head of the Marina.
"The brook runs through a heavily developed area where any failing sewage pipes or overflows could contribute to these high numbers," he said. "Other sources could be from a number of storm drains in the vicinity or a sanitary sewer overflow pipe near the small beach and kayak launch just south of Ichabod's Landing. Sewage contamination at the Marina is exacerbated by rainfall."
So, is the Hudson River swimmable? The answer appears to be—sometimes. It seems as if the contamination is from local sources, often, but not always magnified by rainfall and often unpredictable. Given this evidence of sewage contamination and increased recreational use of the Hudson, Riverkeeper believes continued water quality monitoring at the multiple user points should be undertaken by Westchester County, and the results must be made public on a timely basis.
To learn more about Riverkeeper and view additional sampling data, visit www.riverkeeper.org.
