Sure The Hudson Is Poopy, But It Is Way Worse Upstate

Swimming in the Hudson (Gerry Visco's flickr).

The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harlem is back in action and the DEP says our waterways are safe for swimming again. But are they really? A new Riverkeeper report regarding the Hudson Estuary says yes—most of the time. Also? Be grateful you don't live in Albany.

“Our findings show that while water quality in the Hudson has greatly improved in recent years we still have a significant problem with sewage contamination,” said John Lipscomb, Riverkeeper Boat Captain, said in a statement. “The recent 200+ million gallon sewage spill in New York City is only a minor part of widespread contamination that regularly occurs in the Hudson.”

To write the report (which is actually pretty interesting and which you can read below) the group tested more than 2,000 water samples taken from 75 sites between Albany and NYC from 2006 to 2010 and made some interesting findings. For instance, while the average water quality in the Estuary is, by the EPA's standards, safe for swimming Riverkeeper found that the samples it took were unacceptable for swimming 21 percent of the time (or 1.5 days a week on average). And it only gets worse after the rain, when many plants push excess sewage into the river untreated. After rainfall the percent of samples that were unacceptable jumped threefold.

On the plus side, the Hudson is way better than it was just a few decades ago and also? It is worse up river, despite the millions more people who live down here (seriously! The cleanest samples they took in for the whole report were from Dyckman Street in Manhattan). That's because up there few sewage plants disinfect their runoff, the river water is often narrower and shallower, and the it doesn't have the Atlantic ocean to help dilute the poo.

All of which is to say that after a rainstorm like yesterday's...you might not want to go kayaking?

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By Garth Johnston in News on August 10, 2011 9:40 AM

Comments [rss]

Elderta2

For the most part, after a heavy rainstorm, kayakers do not go kayaking. Most of us wait at least 24 hours and many folks check on sites for water condition reports. We're crazy, but not completely insane. (Cue people who think otherwise...)

SPsGhost

What sites do you use? I live right by the river and I must say that I'm often tempted to jump in, but for what seem to me like obvious reasons, I never have.

Elderta2

BTW, the only place I've gone swimming after a kayak is in Staten Island and a secret spot in the Bronx. I haven't jumped into the East River, except by mistake a couple of times, lol.

SPsGhost

Ha! No, I don't kayak, although I'd love to try sometime, it looks like a lot of fun especially sea kayaking. I live on the UWS near Riverside Park. I go for runs down by the Cherry Walk, which seems like such a tragic waste of what would be essentially a gorgeous beach if not for the questionable water. So you're saying that if I check the websites of a local kayak club, they might have current water quality information? Thanks for the link, I will study it.

Elderta2

I'll ask someone about specific links. I usually go with others who are more adamant about it that I am who may know. Riverkeepers puts tests up, but it's not daily. http://www.riverkeeper.org/wat...
I don't think swimming is technically legal (I may be wrong about that); but be careful of currents and the po-po and all of that.

SPsGhost

Oh, there are signs saying it isn't legal, but just because something isn't legal doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it :)

Thanks again!

Elderta2

Hi, so I asked, and a daily water condition site isn't available at the moment. New York City Water Trail Association is pushing for a site to be created, but it hasn't happened yet.

Just be careful out there with tides and stuff. I see people swimming off of Brooklyn sometimes, and I've done it myself, but always be careful. It's awesome! :)

SPsGhost

Thanks again!

Elderta2

I'm with the Long Island City Community Boathouse, but there are so many boathouses all over the place now. I'm going to a meeting tonight for the new North Brooklyn Boathouse in Greenpoint, but I've kayaked with the Red Hook Boathouse, Sebago in Canarsie and the Downtown Boathouse. I don't have my own boat and many of these places do have boats you can use, particularly if you volunteer. If you have your own kayak, though, check out the NYC Watertrail map. It has all of the launches in the five boroughs... http://www.nycgovparks.org/fac...