Pier 96, Hudson River Park

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The New York City Water Trail Association has been monitoring water quality data in New Yorks’ waterways since 2011. The Citizens Water Monitoring Program runs every year from late May until early October. A total of 42 sites are monitored including many of the upper harbors' recreational boat launches in the Newtown Creek Watershed, the Hudson River, and the East River. Volunteers in the program are largely made up of members from community boat houses at or near those launches. Volunteers collect samples on a weekly basis, every Thursday. Test results are published on Swim Guide and on our website, every Friday evening. Our partners at The River Project at Pier 40, Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak, Culligan/McGillis at Columbia University/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Bronx River Alliance, Queens College (Greg O’Mullan), test using EPA-approved kits from IDEXX laboratories. At The River Project, samples are analyzed by interns in the Marine Biology Internship Program under the supervision of Nina Zain, the Head of Interns and Wetlab Manager of The River Project. Volunteers are invited to participate in the analysis process. Our laboratories test the samples for microbes of the genus Enterococcus. Enterococci are commonly found in the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals; their presence in the water is an indication of fecal pollution and the possible presence of pathogens that could be harmful to human health. This is the same bacteria that the NYC Department of Health test for at the city’s bathing beaches. A site is given a GREEN current status when samples meet the water quality standard of <35 MPN of Enterococcus colonies per 100ml. A site is given a RED current status when samples exceed the standard of 35 Enterococci colonies per 100ml. A site has a GREY current status when there is no current water quality data available. Our goal is to create a baseline of data that, when correlated with rainfall, wind and tide information, can help better inform boaters of likely water quality at nearby launch sites. The New York City Water Trail Association is a non-for-profit umbrella group representing the common interests of over 20 community-based non-motorized boating organizations in and around New York City. Its mission is to expand public access to the waterways, and to promote the safe use of the New York City Water Trail, established by the City’s Parks Department in 2007. Partnering with us is The River Project, a community based estuary-education group based in downtown Manhattan. The Citizens Water Quality Testing program began in 2011 with the shared vision of the The River Project working toward the shared vision of offering boaters, other recreational users, and the general public offering a true picture of near-shore water quality.