Geometric mean of all samples taken per tributary. Geometric mean is a weighted average. The average contamination levels in the creek far exceed EPA safe swimming criteria. Data includes 2016 results, which are still undergoing quality assurance, so these results are preliminary.
Riverkeeper’s tributary community science program started with the Sparkill Creek, and a little girl who smelled something awful at the creek’s edge and told her teacher, “What are the adults going to do about this?” The teacher was Laurie Seeman, of Strawtown Studio, and with […]
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While we don't know what killed the minke whale found dead today near LaGuardia Airport, we know water quality in Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek can be deadly to wildlife.
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In one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State addresses today, he proposed a $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act to pay for many of the priorities Riverkeeper has been advocating for, including upgrading and modernizing wastewater treatment, and protecting drinking water at its source.
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The Water Quality and Contamination report released Jan. 3 by the New York State Senate’s Standing Committees on Health and Environmental Conservation highlights some important issues related to how the State responds to emerging contaminants in drinking water, but it fails to address needed preventative steps to protect drinking water supplies from contamination in the first place.
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Newburgh is continuing to make progress eliminating discharges of untreated sewage directly to the Hudson River. In May 2014, Riverkeeper publicized data that suggested sewage was escaping Newburgh’s combined sewer system even in dry weather. That ultimately prompted a high-impact investigation in November 2015 that […]
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Proposed city law seeks to give the Department of Environmental Protection certain Clean Water Act enforcement powers for separate storm sewer system activities.
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When talking about pollution from combined sewer systems, which carry sewage and storm water runoff in the same pipes, and overflow into waterways, we often talk about “wet weather” overflows, rather than rain overflows. Sunday night’s snow storm explains why. As snow melts, the melt […]
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The Wallkill, as seen from the community gardens in New Paltz one day in August. (Photo courtesy Emily Vail / NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program)
The following appeared in the November Watershed Digest for the Hudson River Watershed Alliance. Learn more about the Alliance at hudsonwatershed.org – and plan to join them in celebrating the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance and other honorees at the 2016 Toast to the Tribs! dinner […]
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