The Hudson has never faced a threat even close to this magnitude.. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. A quick primer. Women who may become pregnant and children are advised to abstain from eating fish from any part of the river. The Chelsea Pumping Station is located about 10 miles south of Poughkeepsie and a few miles north of the salt fronts current range. ALBANY There is no shortage of beautiful spots along the Hudson River to tempt swimmers, people who fish and those who enjoy water sports. Fifty years after the Clean Water Act set the goal of making the nations waters safe for swimming, that is unacceptable. The state will update two parts of its water quality standards for saline waters around New York City, as well as up the Hudson to the Bear Mountain Bridge. 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. For instance, Scenic Hudsons Long Dock Park in Beacon includes a kayak pavilion designed to allow floodwaters to pass through the structure without doing any damage. Dutta said it was difficult to predict how high the river would rise in the future, but that we are probably fine in the 50-year range.. Its position is also influenced by precipitation, as rainstorms push it south and droughts allow it to drift north, but the front generally does not reach north of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. Hold the Lower Hudson and its tributaries to higher standards. The DEC has proposed in many cases to set criteria that will not protect people who are currently swimming or paddling in many waters. Check out these swimming holes, pools, and other places to swim in the Hudson Valley. 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. The DEC has proposed waiting 25 years in some cases for these newly proposed standards to have any effect on upgrading sewer systems to reduce sewer overflows in NYC, and indicated that no improvements would be made to reduce sewer overflows into the Hudson River from Westchester County. In the meantime, New Yorkers are showing how the city can embrace its waterways. Riverkeeper and the New York State DEC dont always see eye to eye, but on the matter of the Hudson River PCB cleanup, they have been unanimous: GEs work is not yet done.New York isnt the only state where federal and state officials are currently at odds over corporate pollution. This year, its gotten to the depth that weve had to place large boulders at both ends to prevent cars from trying to park there, Noble said. But pollution is just one way that humans have transformed the river. The EPA Thinks So. Drop him a note at roger.hannigangilson@timesunion.com. Set protective standards to protect recreation. Another boon to river clean-up was the passage in 1987 of the Hudson River Estuary Management Act (ECL 11-0306) which created the Hudson River Estuary Program, administered by NYSDEC. 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 The hardwood trees disappeared as farming developed; some grew back as factories replaced agriculture, except for the American chestnut, which was wiped out in the 1900s by an invasive fungus. Flooding is already common along the Strand, according to Noble, the sustainability coordinator. The key decision that landed the Hudson on the list for 2019 is an Army Corps of Engineers proposal to build a massive storm surge barrier separating the river and its tidal estuary, New York Harbor, from the Atlantic Ocean. Tell the DEC that all waters that will be protected for anything less than primary contact recreation (Class SD, Class I or wet weather designations) must be subjected to EPA-approved UAAs, and that the public should be robustly involved in the process, before it finalizes new water quality standards. But raw sewage, forever chemicals and algal blooms continue to pose a threat to swimmers and anglers, experts say. How much is the financial damage of the Hudson River pollution by PCBs? Help combat marine debris by passing legislation to stop marine debris at the source. The sodium content of their water generally ranges between 15 to 25 milligrams per liter, according to the Poughkeepsietown water district, which is already above the state Department of Healths recommended limit of 20 milligrams per liter for people on very low-sodium diets. 1. In response to a lawsuit by Riverkeeper and our partners and following 20 years of delay, New York State has proposed the first of two new rules that are meant to update Water Quality Standards for waters around New York City. A digital newsmagazine for the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Here are several ways that Riverkeeper and our partners at NRDC and Save the Sound are urging DEC to improve the first of its two proposed water quality standards rules: 1. was prescribed to remove over 2.5 million cubic yards of sediment and encompass a roughly 40-mile stretch of the river, from the Troy Dam to Fort . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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.. But raw sewage, forever chemicals and algal blooms continue to pose a threat to swimmers and anglers, experts say. Few environmental cleanup efforts in US history have been as extensiveor as emotionalas General Electrics years-long, $1.7 billion dredging project on the Hudson River to remove millions of pounds of PCBs dumped between the 1940s and 70s.Last week, that project hit a major milestoneor a major roadblock, depending on your perspective. General Electric should foot the bill for the estimated $22 billion it would cost to rehabilitate a 200-mile-long stretch of the Hudson River due to the company's . Expanding New Yorks 5-cent deposit on containers is a critical policy solution to address both plastic pollution and the current recycling crisis. Protect people who are using the water now. A river catches fire, so polluted that its waters have "no visible life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms." . European settlers soon cleared the forests for farms, and with industrialization, ships plied the rivers waters with people and goods headed upstate and for the Great Lakes. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Fishermen at the dam last week said they were catching 25 fish per day. Only after thorough analysis of alternatives for improving water quality does the Clean Water Act allow for states to establish standards that fail to reach for the goal of making water safe for swimming. Logo for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 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. Further, in an unspecified number of waterways that would otherwise meet safe-swimming criteria, the DEC is proposing wet weather exemptions to allow continued discharges of raw sewage from CSOs, accepting that they will be unsafe after rain. The standards established today will influence decisions for a generation. This is a carousel. The Metropolitan Transportation Agencys Hudson line carries tens of thousands of passengers daily between 27 stops from New York City to Poughkeepsie. The river is not cleaning itself. Join or coordinate a stenciling event near Newtown Creek by e-mailing Lisa at [emailprotected] or near the Gowanus Canal by e-mailing [emailprotected]. In 2014, six Capital Region communities and two sewer districts formed a consortium to improve the water quality in the Hudson. Here's how the rising Hudson River will impact all of us. While there appeared to be no active flow of sewage from the pipe break's location, he said, the sewage discharge occurs because the pump station has to be shut down to repair it. Tell New York State you support these improvements to its water quality standards. The most visible toxin in local rivers is harmful algal blooms, recognizable by green spots or streaks on the waters surface that resembles pea soup or paint. The four public beaches are Ulster Landing at Sojourner Truth Park andKingston Point Beach in the city of Kingston, both in Ulster County, as well as the Beacon River Pool in Beacon,Dutchess County, and Croton Point Beach in Westchester County. Do they use excessive packaging? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. He notes that state water and health officials warn against swimming in any stream in the Licking basin or elsewhere after a rain, or within several miles of cities, suburban neighborhoods, or areas with heavy agriculture. It also directly abuts the river for most of its length. Is the Hudson River clean or dirty? Once an Open Sewer, New York Harbor Now Teems With - The New York Times To the left is a new seawall in Troy, NY, with Green Island, NY, to the right. Does homeowners insurance cover damage to neighbor property fire? New York Citys plan is significantly less aggressive than many other U.S. cities. Ina statement issued about the decision, Riverkeeper explains how the granting of the certificate will make it legally more difficult to compel GE to do more cleanup in future: Issuing this certificate triggers a covenant not to sue, which will severely limit the EPAs ability to compel GE to conduct additional cleanup action. In other waters designated Class SD, DEC is proposing to forego modern criteria completely and allow still more fecal contamination, without providing justification. Can you swim and fish in the Hudson River? The 315-mile river starts as a stream in the Adriondacks and wends its way into a massive water body that dumps into New York Harbor, connecting to the Atlantic Ocean, between New York City and Jersey City. Rachel Silberstein covers health for the Times Union. Imagining the Hudson before Humans - State of the Planet Hudson Valley River is generally safe to swim. Roger Hannigan Gilson covers Columbia and Greene counties for the Times Union. Get this The Times-Tribune page for free from Sunday, November 18, 1979 Ago Like many other American waterways, the Hudson River has had its share of trouble in the form of oil sficfcx, raw sewage . Water Quality Standards are a foundation for the Clean Water Act, defining the pollution limits for individual waterbodies. May | 15 Choose another date 2009 GE finally initiates cleanup of polluted Hudson River After decades of environmental damage and legal wrangling, General Electric finally begins its. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". If contact occurs, people are urged to rinse off, according to the DEC. More information on harmful algal blooms can be found here. This choice will also influence the criteria established to protect kayaking, rowing, dragon boating and other secondary contact recreational activities. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. If waterways cant be made safe for swimming, prove it. To the SoundShorecommunities., The corps hasheld a series of public hearings in New York and New Jerseyto discuss the storm surge protection proposals. 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. 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. This project is funded by a grant from theNew York State Pollution Prevention Institute. Amtrak, which controls the rail line as it stretches north from Poughkeepsie, has yet to make any improvements to protect against river rise. VIDEO: How to host a storm drain stenciling project. May 25, 2015 This summer, General Electric and the Environmental Protection Agency will wrap up major dredging operations on the upper Hudson River. Lou Manico of Brunswick, left, and Jack Whitman of Colonie, right, fish for striped bass in the Hudson River by the Green Island hydroelectric facility on Monday, April 18, 2022, in Green Island, N.Y. Before the sewage got into the river, county officials chlorinated it to disinfect it, Kopicki said. 4. Firemen stand on a bridge over the Cuyahoga River to spray water on the tug Arizona, as a fire, started in an oil slick on the river, sweeps the docks at the Great Lakes Towing Company site in . 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.". But before the confluence of the Hudson River and the harbor became New York City, the East River was home to a diversity of wildlife including fish, oysters and whales. Tell DEC that setting new water quality standards should mean cleaner water faster. Proposed NYC storm barriers, oil-barge anchorages, and other new challenges come with ecological costs. Andrew Cuomo or Attorney General Letitia James, who announced within hours of the EPAs decision thatthey intend to sue the federal agency.Riverkeeper and Scenic Hudson, the environmental groups that have long been at the forefront of the effort to restore the Hudson River, were also quick to condemn the EPAs action. Such a project would cost many, many, many millions of dollars, Noble said. The mouth of the river must remain open and unrestricted, as it has been for millennia, saidJohn Lipscomb, Riverkeeper Patrol Boat Captain and Vice President of Advocacy. In lower Manhattan, land was reclaimed from the river by filling wetland with garbage and concrete. Tell the DEC that the Clean Water Act demands that all waters should have the goal of being safe for swimming by establishing primary contact criteria for Class I and Class SD waters, and by specifying how it will ensure any wet weather exemptions lead to faster and more aggressive sewage overflow reductions. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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 problem of the wastewater treatment plant is not unique to Kingston. The division between the fresh and briny water called the salt front or salt wedge moves up and down the river with the tides. Contact your officials here. 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. If so, is there an alternative that uses fewer resources? Communities outside the proposed Hudson River barriers zone of protection are also worried: New York State Assemblyman Steven Otis worries about what will happen when the barriers close. Activity on the Hudson River on Sunday afternoon. Hudson River Cleanup | Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site | US EPA But the pollution and . For much of its history, heavy industry along the Hudson contaminated the river with toxic residue. The critical test for New York State is whether it will comply with the requirements of the Clean Water Act to meet the goal of swimmable waters around our nations largest city. 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The area had not received significant rainfall for 10 days, according to NOAA data. If not, write the company a letter or call. The discharge had a flow rate of . The rail line has flooded in the recent past, such as during Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. New York State is proposing to implement the weaker, less protective of these options, even though it had just a few years ago planned to implement the more protective. Would love your thoughts, please comment. 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. Westchester County officials continue to warn people not to enter the Hudson River due to sewage discharged into the major waterway from Monday evening until Tuesday afternoon. The county Department of Health advised all recreational boaters and swimmers to refrain from activities that involve contact with the Hudson, starting Monday night until further notice. The details and scope of the assessment are not yet defined, but Amtrak plans to begin the analysis this summer with a completion date in 2023. We tallied the votes from this years Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. The river is cleaner now than in years past thanks to the 50-year-old federal Clean Water Act and sporadic pollution mitigation efforts. 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. He pointed to the East Side Coastal Resiliency project in New York City, a plan under way to build a 2.2 mile floodwall around Manhattan's east side to protect it from sea-level rise and related storms. Hudson River - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation What comes next? What's the danger of PCBs? Spring Lake is safe to swim in, provided you have access to the water. For policy action write your local, state and federal legislators about your concerns. The Clean Water Act allows these lower standards only if the state receives EPA approval for a use attainability analysis (UAA). On this page: Why is the cleanup of the upper Hudson River needed? Further, Riverkeeper is arguing for stronger criteria to define how clean is clean in these waters. Climate change-caused "sunny day" flooding at Kingston Point on October 9, 2021. Finally, the method the state used to determine criteria for protecting paddlers (its secondary contact criteria) is based on the use of a formula recommended by Riverkeeper and our partners. Scenic Hudson Land Trust Executive DirectorSeth McKee said the nonprofit started taking river rise into consideration at their parks just before 2010, with Hurricane Irene in 2011 which caused more than $1 billion in damages in New York crystallizing the need to prepare. For nearly fifteen years, this project,. 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. In this episode of the Scienceline podcast, we try to find the answer. One of the biggest investments Kingston has made so far is to its wastewater treatment plant, which sits along the Rondout Creek. Join us in asking the Environmental Protection Agency to weigh in and reject the regulatory rollback. It also once included a parking lot so leisure-seekers could access the riverfront. Ring the bell on the landing pier and step aboard one of the four Rhine ferries, powered solely by the natural current of the river. If not, reusable bags are available for purchase at most grocery stores for between $1-$5, yet you can reduce your plastic bag use by thousands of bags per year. The Hudson is one of the states most important natural assets and is continuing on the road to recovery thanks to the dedicated state experts who are advancing critical projects to protect human health and the environment, a DEC spokesman said. Is physics and chemistry needed for MBBS? Globally, 73% of beach litter is plastic debris such as beverage bottles, styrofoam and fishing equipment. Governors Island grew the same way. Crews perform dredging work along the upper Hudson River in Waterford, N.Y. General Electric's cleanup of PCBs discharged into the river decades ago will end this year. Today, the Hudson's waters flow cleaner than they have in decades. We cannotmust notallow these barriers to be built. For other waters, DEC is proposing criteria that would not protect kayaking, such as occurs now in the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek, the Arthur Kill and elsewhere. Be conscious of the types of products you purchase: 1. Any inundation would flood them. These combined sewer overflow, or CSO, discharges occur because roughly 60% of the city is served by a combined sewer system. DOWNLOAD Fact sheets about the importance of expanding NYSs bottle deposit program, Cleanup Day Of Checklist and Reporting Worksheet, Brooklyn Stenciling Project Aims to Reduce Marine Debris, VIDEO: How to host a storm drain stenciling project. Use the resources below to learn how to recruit volunteers, ask for donations, and have a safe and successful cleanup. For a good overview please visit New York Citys recycling page. 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. EPA begins third five-year review of Hudson River cleanup The advice for the Hudson is more restrictive because of PCBs. 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. Listen 4:52. Tell New York State to set strong standards for New Yorks saline waters by choosing the most protective primary and secondary contact recreation criteria.
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