Is the Hudson River Cleanup Finished? Kingston, N.Y., for instance, is going beyond its Long Term Control Plan requirements in order to eliminate sewer overflows, and in Paris, France, the city will open 26 new pools in the Seine after investing to eliminate sewer overflows. The area had not received significant rainfall for 10 days, according to NOAA data. Industry provided jobs, created communities, and brought economic growth to the region. The river is cleaner now than in years past thanks to the 50-year-old federal Clean Water Act and sporadic pollution mitigation efforts. Is physics and chemistry needed for MBBS? It also once included a parking lot so leisure-seekers could access the riverfront. Beginning just after 7 p.m., the sewage then had to be temporarily discharged into the Hudson at the emergency bypass outfall in Sleepy Hollow, a state alert said. DOWNLOAD Petitions to expand New York States bottle deposit program to include non-carbonated beverages as well as wine and liquor glass bottles. MTA Director of Sustainability Initiatives Projjal Dutta said there were several sections on the line vulnerable to flooding from river rise-exacerbated storms, including areas near Croton-Harmon, Tarrytown and Beacon. Other ongoing pollution problems affecting the river include: accidental sewage discharges, urban runoff, heavy metals, furans, dioxin, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). But raw sewage, forever chemicals and algal blooms continue to pose a threat to swimmers and anglers, experts say. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. But the oily substance remains in the river sentiment, where it is consumed by small organisms, eventually traveling up the food chain to large fish like striped bass, according to Shapley. But a recent health report issued by the state of New Jersey found otherwise: The state Department of Health has declared that naphthalene levels near the site were high enough to potentially cause harmful short-term health effects in local residents. 7/1/2020 0 Comments On September 11, 1609, when Henry Hudson's sailing ship Half Moon entered the river later named for its captain, crew member Robert Juet recorded the river's physical characteristicsits depths, shoals, winds, tides and currents. No trains, bridges, factories or houses. Sea levels will be higher, and depending on how New York City prepares for the rising waters, the coastline could significantly change. Fishermen near the Green Island Bridge on the Hudson River on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The Hudson River from the Poughkeepsie Bridge Between 1947 and 1977, General Electric polluted the Hudson River by discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) causing a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river. Does homeowners insurance cover damage to neighbor property fire? Hudson River Cleanup | Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site | US EPA The safest place to cool off along the river is at one of four public bathing areas that are staffed with lifeguards and are regularly monitored by the state for contaminants. Were urging DEC to ensure that it sets criteria to protect past, present and reasonably anticipated future uses of the water. But pollution is just one way that humans have transformed the river. But, the fish and the river bottom on which they depend for food and shelter are contaminated by PCBs. The river is cleaner now than in years past thanks to the 50-year-old federal Clean Water Act and sporadic pollution mitigation efforts. Opponents Rally Against Iroquois Fracked Gas Pipeline Expansion in New York State. 6. Due to municipal sewage overflow, those areas generally unsafe for swimming, according to a data map produced by the organization. She was the founding editor of the Watershed Post, a site that covered local news in the rural Catskills from 2010 to 2017. Become a member for a year today by making a donation of any amount! Fishermen near the federal lock and dam on the Hudson River on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, with Troy, NY, on the left and Green Island, NY, to the right. The Hudson Valley is beginning to adapt to this eventuality, but it is a long path ahead. These bacteria are used to determine water quality because if they are present, pathogens that may make swimmers sick are also likely to be present. To the SoundShorecommunities., The corps hasheld a series of public hearings in New York and New Jerseyto discuss the storm surge protection proposals. Nothing else is acceptable. He has worked as a reporter in the northern Hudson Valley since 2014 and spends most of his additional time outdoors. I recommend people think about what the weather was like a day or two before they go to the beach because if there was a big thunderstorm that rolled through the afternoon before you go to the beach, that will probably have affected the water quality, said Dan Shapley, director of advocacy and policy at Riverkeeper. Check out these swimming holes, pools, and other places to swim in the Hudson Valley. A river is a large, natural stream of flowing water. Despite this, DEC would wait for NYCs existing CSO Long Term Control Plans to be fully implemented, including water quality monitoring required after the last project is completed, before any additional upgrades would be contemplated. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Here too, state officials appear to be taking risks to human health and the impacts of pollution more seriously than their federal counterparts.According toa report by NorthJersey.com, the EPA has assured residents that despite the smells coming from the site, levels of naphthalenethe main chemical in mothballswere merely a nuisance, not a danger to human health. Kingston is also considering applying for hazard mitigation assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and wants to increase the height of the bulkhead running along the Rondout. None of the communities which have completed phase I have yet to advance to phase III of the program, wherein the design plans are implemented with grant money, but Zemaitis said state programs often take a decade to fully implement, and that she was hopeful the process would be completed in a community within the next five years.. Your donations to Riverkeeper make possible our work protecting the Hudson River and the drinking water supply of 9 million New Yorkers. Ina 2018 article about the storm barrier proposal,The Hudson Independentdiscussed a similar structure that was built in the 1980s, the Eastern Scheldt Barrier in Hollandto the detriment of the rivers tidal estuary, conservationists say. Hudson River Pollution History and Cleanup Efforts - Green Matters You dont know what youre eating. But as the Atlantic rises, more ocean water will work its way into the river and could push the salt front north. Calling for Changes to the Plans for Storm Surge Prevention, NY passes ban on dumping radioactive waste in Hudson River, Plan to discharge water into Hudson River from closed nuclear plant sparks uproar, Enforcement on PIPC NJ Boat Basin Dredging, Enforcement Success at Millens Scrap Yard, Debunking the MythIndian Point Fails the Green Test, Hudson River Power Plants: Permitted to Pollute, Tell EPA: Protect people and wildlife, not GE, Introduction to the Trustees GE PCB NRD Assessment, Sliding Into the Present: Effects of the Spill Today, Crude Oil Transportation: A Timeline of Failure, Crude Oil on the Hudson: What We Are Doing, Hudson Valley Schools at Risk from Crude Oil Trains, General Motors Site Redevelopment, Sleepy Hollow, Landfilling the Hudson North of Battery Park City, Newburgh Proposed Waterfront Redevelopment, Proposed Rezoning of the East River Waterfront, Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park, Queens, United Water New Yorks Proposed Desalination Plant, Hunter Mountain Snowmaking Expansion / Diversion Weir, Is My Tap Water Safe to Drink? If so, is there an alternative that uses fewer resources? Deforestation contributed to the process, and so did human waste. New York Citys plan is significantly less aggressive than many other U.S. cities. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These wet weather exemptions to meeting standards should only be allowed if they are paired with explicit aggressive procedures for improving infrastructure to reduce overflows. Those innovations changed the river, leaving a legacy of PCBs, sewage and other pollutants. Together we can reduce litter by educating people about the sources and solutions to river debris. Each spring, the Hudson River where it meets the Troy federal dam, teams with migrant fish from the Atlantic Ocean including striped bass, herring and shad attracting anglers from all over the state. But decades of industrial dumping into the river has made fishing in the Hudson a complicated endeavor. Climate crisis Wildlife Energy Pollution Green light New York Hudson river shows signs of rebound after decades as New York's sewer The Hudson river, spanned by the George Washington Bridge. Can activists and environmentally conscious regulators restore the legendary river to its former glory? What's being done to address the contamination? What would it take to reincarnate this lost ecosystem of New York City's central body of water? Hudson river shows signs of rebound after decades as New York's sewer Such plants must be sited on low-lying land next to water, and, in the Hudson Valley, this often means being on the river itself. In 2017, the state added per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) analysis to the list of contaminants it tracks in fish. Climate change-caused "sunny day" flooding at Kingston Point on October 9, 2021. It guided Henry Hudson in search of a northwest passage and served commerce as a transportation route during the Industrial Revolution. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Before the sewage got into the river, county officials chlorinated it to disinfect it, Kopicki said. Natural Resource Trustees' responsibility: Restoration of injured natural resources. Published April 22, 2022 at 11:50 AM EDT. Local stories with an eye toward the bigger picture. The project involves the construction of a $45-million underground facility that is expected to screen and disinfect 300 million gallons of water each year. Flooding is already common along the Strand, according to Noble, the sustainability coordinator. The 315-mile Hudson River is steeped in American history. According toRiverkeeper, a Hudson River-focused environmental group that runs a patrol boat up and down the river nine months out of the year, there are at least 90 areas along the river where water-based recreation regularly occurs. Riverkeeper has been critical of each of NYCs plans as it was approved, because each could and should have gone further to reduce and eliminate sewer overflows. The certificate was a major victory for GE; the company promptlygave a statement announcing that the dredging had been a success. You can reach her at rachel.silberstein@timesunion.com or 518-454-5449. Others flow seasonally or during wet years. Raising the height of the rails would be an extreme effort, and a lot of money and probably not the best use of taxpayers dollars, Dutta said. The Tarrytown Pumping Station was back in service at 2 p.m. Tuesday and the discharge to the Hudson ended at 3:06 p.m. Tuesday. According toRiverkeeper which collects water samples along the river and analyzes them the Hudson's waters aroundWatervliet, Albany, Troy and Cohoes are among the most contaminated in the state. Dave Portnoy asks to demo Saratoga house, build new, Troopers: Schenectady man killed in New Scotland car crash, HGTV filming new series at historic Menands home, Top Chinese restaurants in the Capital Region, Malcolm's in Schenectady closes, and more restaurant news, PEF members could ratify new union contract this week, State Police Inspector on leave after DWI arrest, 'A passion project': Teachers open shop on Lark Street, Sheriff's office joins county in response to asylum-seekers. In this article Here's how Hudson River pollution happened in the first place. In short, what is at stake is whether New Yorkers will be able to swim and otherwise safely use its waters for recreation in the foreseeable future. The health issue with PCBs is really associated with eating fish, not with swimming or drinking, because of the nature of the chemical, Shapley said. When the tide rises, ocean water is actually being forced up the river, and the southernmost reaches of the Hudson are mostly briny. This is a carousel. We need the state to aim high. Hudson River Floodplain Summer 2019 Update For more information: For more information or questions about the Hudson River floodplain investigation or the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site, you can contact: Larisa Romanowski Public Affairs Specialist U.S. EPA Hudson River Office (518) 407-0400 epahrfo@outlook.com Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Years of hard work by dedicated scientists, government officials, and river-lovers have opened the Hudson's shores to swimming, fishing, and boating. To reduce the amount of trash and other undesirable material entering our waterways, Riverkeeper is working with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Newtown Creek Alliance, and the SWIM Coalition to stencil storm drains in Brooklyn. There is no drought on the record that would cause us to need the Chelsea Pumping Station again, according to Timbers. The first state rule will define how much contamination is allowable in waters used for swimming, kayaking or fishing, as determined by concentration of bacteria. VIDEO: How to host a storm drain stenciling project. Numerous factories that once lined the Hudson River poured garbage and industrial waste directly into the river. By 2050, there will be more pieces of plastic in the ocean than fish (by weight) considered a dredging plan. Rachel Silberstein covers health for the Times Union. Thats enough to fill the Empire State Building 72 times! The Benjamin Center for Public Policy Initiatives at SUNY New Paltz has published its 22 nd discussion brief, "Hudson River PCBs: What the GE Clean-Up Brings to Life," which tells the story of the pollution of the river and the subsequent fight for remediation. One of the biggest investments Kingston has made so far is to its wastewater treatment plant, which sits along the Rondout Creek. Clean-Up and Recovery Continues Throughout the State, As Responding Agencies Keep Close Eye on Weather Forecast for Thursday Through . Hudson 7 Technical Consultant Paul Malmrose said he was kind of in shock when he began calling around to state and federal agencies and learned the problem had never been studied. Between Albany and Troy, much of the fine-grain sediment on the bottom has been swept away, replaced by gravel, says Nitsche, a geophysicist who with colleagues mapped the riverbed from New York Harbor to Troy in the early 1990s. We tallied the votes from this years Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. Governors Island grew the same way. Further, additional criteria (called a statistical threshold value or STV) will be applied in most waters to better protect recreational users from occasional instances of high contamination, typically caused by runoff or sewage overflows. The county's emergency contractor, ELQ, began repairs Monday. G.e. Facing Order to Remove Poisons From the Hudson By continuing to use this website, you consent to Columbia University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the. One foot of flooding on top of this equivalent to a moderate storm would flood several additional sections of the line in Dutchess County. The Hudson is essentially at sea level until reaching the Federal Dam in Troy, so when the Atlantic Ocean rises whether twice daily from the tides or slowly and permanently because of climate change the river rises too. The EPA defines swimming and other activities that result in ingestion of, or full immersion in, water as primary contact recreation. Recreational water quality criteria are based on the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria in the water. Revitalized public beaches, boat launches, parks, and fishing access sites dot the estuary's shores . Governor Hochul Announces Reopening of Hudson Valley Roads Following How Safe are U.S. Rivers 50 Years after the Clean Water Act? 9 of 27 10 of 27 The Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge over the Hudson River is seen from the beach at Kingston Point on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 in Kingston, N.Y. Lori Van Buren/Times Union Show More . Why is work done when you lift an object from the floor? Any inundation would flood them. CSX, a freight hauler, also uses the tracks. Join us in asking the Environmental Protection Agency to weigh in and reject the regulatory rollback. Help combat marine debris by passing legislation to stop marine debris at the source. Peteet, a botanist and climate scientist, has found that at about 400 years ago, native sedges and saltwater grasses gave way to cattails and common reeds, including the well-known Phragmites. What's the danger of PCBs? Where will the water go? he asked. Not far from the river, in Edgewater, New Jersey, residents have complained about toxic fumes released by Honeywells ongoing cleanup of the Quanta Superfund site. The largest initiative to come out of the partnership which includes Albany, Troy, Rensselaer, Cohoes, and Watervliet, andGreen Island, as well as the Albany County Water Purification District and Rensselaer County Sewer District is the ongoing Beaver Creek Clean River Project in Albanys Lincoln Park. In some waters, like the Bronx River and Hutchinson River, watershed management in Westchester County where those rivers originate will also be needed. Spring Lake is safe to swim in, provided you have access to the water. Most of the designs are about natural solutions, Zemaitis said. Calling for Changes to the Plans for Storm Surge Prevention, NY passes ban on dumping radioactive waste in Hudson River, Plan to discharge water into Hudson River from closed nuclear plant sparks uproar, including by implementing green infrastructure. Fifty years after the Clean Water Act set the goal of making the nations waters safe for swimming, that is unacceptable. A lot of the designs are about living with the water, being more adaptable, being more naturally resilient, versus trying to just keep the water out.". In the marshes still left, Peteet and colleagues have tunneled into Hudson River mud looking for pollen, seeds and plankton to find out what the ecosystem looked like. Other U.S. cities are making larger per capita investments, and reducing and eliminating sewer overflows faster and more thoroughly than New York City is under the requirements of the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plans that are required under the Clean Water Act to define infrastructure improvements that reduce sewer overflows.
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