2001 Harbor Water Quality Survey NYC

2001 N E W Y O R K H A R B O RW A T E R Q U A L I T Y R E P O R T

MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, MAYOR

CHRISTOPHER O. WARD, COMMISSIONER

North River Pollution Control Plant

1

May, 2002

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) performs an intensive annual survey of the waterquality in New York harbor. The purpose of the Harbor Survey Program is to assess the effectiveness of the City’svarious pollution control programs, and their combined impact on water quality.

The 2001 New York Harbor Water Quality Report provides data summaries for the four significant regions of the harborand includes discussion of our monitoring results as well as trend data dating back to 1970. Additional features, this year, are descriptions of the DEP’s pollution control programs and summaries of special studies conducted on harbor-related subjects.

We are continually striving to improve our programs and to enhance the usefulness of this report. Your comments areencouraged. Questions or suggestions may be directed to Mr. Robert Ranheim of the DEP’s Marine Sciences Section at (212) 860-9378.

We are proud of the results of our efforts to improve the quality of New York City’s waterways. Your interest in thesuccess of our programs is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Christopher O. WardCommissioner

May, 2002

The 2001 New York Harbor Water Quality Report represents the 92nd year of comprehensive monitoring of the waterquality in New York Harbor, and demonstrates the continued improvements of the City’s waterways and the regeneration of their aquatic ecosystems. In fact, the Harbor is in better shape today than it has been in more than thirty years.

Under the management of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the City’s advanced wastewater treatmentand pollution prevention programs are clearly producing positive results. Largely because of these efforts, our bathingwaters are cleaner and our aquatic environment is flourishing. What’s more we are committed to do better next year. With further enhancements to our treatment plants and other infrastructure upgrades already underway, the quality of theHarbor, and of City life, will surely continue to improve.

I encourage all New Yorkers to review this report to gain an appreciation for the extensive efforts the City has undertakento reduce pollution in the Harbor and to protect our wonderful natural resources.

Sincerely,

Michael R. BloombergMayor

3

2001 N E W Y O R K H A R B O RW A T E R Q U A L I T Y R E P O R T

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

O V E R V I E W

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

R E G I O N A L S U M M A R Y

Parameter Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Inner Harbor Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Upper East River-W. Long Island Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Jamaica Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Lower New York Bay-Raritan Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

S U M M A R Y O F NYCDEP P O L L U T I O N C O N T R O L P R O G R A M S

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

S P E C I A L W A T E R Q U A L I T Y S T U D I E S

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Urban Watershed Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Shellbank Destratification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

VOC Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

IEC Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

PCB Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Gowanus Fish Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Volunteer Beach Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Enterococcus Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

2001OVERVIEW

4

arbor-wide water quality has shown great improve-ments for the past thirty years. Fecal coliform concentra-tions have decreased nearly two orders-of-magnitudefrom 1974 through 2001. The accompanying graphillustrates this dramatic improvement. Prior to secondaryupgrades of the City’s Water Pollution Control Plants(WPCPs) (1974), Harbor waters did not meet levelsappropriate for fishing in the Inner Harbor Area, nor bathingin outlying waters. Significant improvement can be seenfollowing treatment plant expansions and upgrades (1985)and start-up of the City’s last two WPCPs (1988).Together, operation of the new North River and Red Hookplants ended the discharge of 210 million gallons per day(mgd) of untreated sewage to the Manhattan andBrooklyn shorelines.

Further improvements since 1989 are attributed to theincreased surveillance and improved maintenance andoperation of the entire sewage collection system andwastewater treatment plants. This has resulted in theabatement of illegal discharges, the elimination of rawsewage bypassing, and the increased capture of rainfallthat enters the combined sewer system.

Area-wide decreases in sewage loading into the waterways have resulted in greater environmental improvementin the Harbor. Indicative of this improvement aredissolved oxygen (DO) levels. Harbor Survey monitoringhas documented significant Harbor-wide increases in DOconcentrations (~2 mg/L) over the past 30 years. Today,Harbor waters have DO concentrations above levels firstrecorded at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Harbor Survey program has been in existence forover 90 years. In that time the program has documenteddramatic improvements in the water quality in New YorkHarbor. Recent improvements have not been as dramaticbut water quality continues to improve and the currentwater quality is as good as it has been since the HarborSurvey began. Upgrades and the increase in monitoringand surveillance have documented improvements in morethan just the harbor waters. Several of these items are:

• All the City’s public beaches have remained open duringthe bathing season. Wet weather advisories have beeneliminated from all but three of these public beaches.

• No major fish kills have been reported in the last twoyears.

• The number of nuisance algal blooms has been greatlyreduced.

• Return to the harbor of several species of birds, such asegrets and herons, and fish, such as sturgeon, as well asthe “wood-borers”.

• Elimination of 99% of “dry weather” sewage discharges.

• Capture of 71% of floatables entering the system duringwet weather.

• Capture of 62% of rainfall in 2001 that enters CSOsystem.

• Reduction of toxic metals loadings from industrialsources by over 95% .

The above list, while comprehensive, is by no means theend of the story. The City of New York is committed tocontinuing the programs mentioned in this report, and hasbegun several projects to solve the remaining problems inNew York Harbor. The remaining challenges will requirethe cooperative efforts of citizens and local, state, andfederal governments. Limited resources must be usedwisely; accordingly, DEP managers and staff strive to domore with less. Remaining water quality problems aremuch more limited in scope than they were at the turn ofthe last century. It is therefore, critical that existinginfrastructure be maintained to prevent backsliding andmaintain a platform to provide further water quality improve-ment. Pollution prevention including the track down andcontrol of toxicants of concern (PCB’s, mercury, etc)remain of paramount concern to improve sediment qualityand reduce fish advisories. However, the potentiallyenormous cost for the control of nitrogen and combinedsewer overflows must be balanced with the incrementalbenefits that will be attained.

H

O V E R V I E W

*Harbor-Wide averages represent 40 stations, 34 stations for year 2000 34 stations for year 2001

Y E A R

Dis

solv

ed O

xyge

n (m

g/L)

H A R B O R - W I D E �D I S S O L V E D O X Y G E N �

�

H A R B O R - W I D E �D I S S O L V E D O X Y G E N �

�

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

BOTTOM WATERSSURFACE WATERS

S U M M E R A V E R A G E *

NYS Bathing Standard

NYS Fishing Standard

2001OVERVIEW

5

S

EW

N

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

BROOKLYN

Narrows

UpperBay


S T A T E N I S L A N D

Riv

er

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

Jamaica Bay

UpperBay

Narrows

Long Island Sound

East

RivH

ud

s on

Riv

er

Art

hur

Kil

New

ark

B

RaritanBay

Kill Van K

SandyHook

Ha

rle

N E W J E R S E Y

W E S T C H E S T E RC O U N T Y

(<100)

KEY: UNIT= Fecal Coliform Cells/100mL

Not Measured

1974

(100-200)(201-2000)(>2000)

PRE-WPCP UPGRADES(COMPOSITE DATA)

POST-WPCP UPGRADE BUT PRE-NORTH RIVER & RED HOOK WPCPS

POST NORTH RIVER (1986)& RED HOOK (1987)

INCREASED SURVEILLANCE AND MAINTENANCE

1985

1988 2001


Riv

erB R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

Jamaica Bay

UpperBay

Narrows

Long Island Sound

East

RivH

ud

s on

Riv

er

Art

hur

Kil

New

ark

B

RaritanBay

Kill Van Ku

SandyHook

Ha

rle

N E W J E R S E Y




S U M M E R G E O M E T R I C M E A N F O RF E C A L C O L I F O R M I N S U R F A C E W A T E R S

S

EW

N

S

EW

N

S

EW

N


Riv

er

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

Jamaica Bay

UpperBay

Narrows

Long Island Sound

East

RivH

ud

s on

Riv

er

Art

hur

Kil

New

ark

B

RaritanBay

Kill Van Ku

SandyHook

Ha

rle

N E W J E R S E Y



Riv

er

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

Jamaica Bay

UpperBay

Narrows

Long Island Sound

East

RivH

ud

s on

Riv

er

Art

hur

Kil

New

ark

B

RaritanBay

Kill Van Ku

SandyHook

Ha

rle

N E W J E R S E Y


H A R B O R -W I D E W A T E R Q U A L I T Y I M P R O V E M E N T S

NYS Best-Use Classifications: � 200 FC/100mL=SB (Bathing); � 2000 FC/100mL=I (Fishing)Poor does not meet fishing standards; Superior does not imply shellfishing quality

NYC DOH requirements precludebathing near sewer outfalls andwhere rainfall may substantiallyincrease coliform levels.

2001REGIONAL SUMMARY

6

P A R A M E T E R S Y N O P S I S

This brief synopsis examines trends of four major indicators of environmental change in the Harbor Estuary.1 These four indicators are:

R E G I O N A L S U M M A R Y

Fecal Coliform (FC) Bacteria – Fecal coliformconcentrations are measured in NY Harbor as human-health related indicators of sewage-related pollution.Fecal coliform bacteria are found primarily in humanand animal intestines and associated with sewagewaste. These bacteria are widely used as indicatororganisms to show the presence of such wastes inwater and the possible presence of pathogenic(disease-producing) bacteria.

Chlorophyll ‘a’ – Chlorophyll ‘a’ is a plant pigment,the concentration of which in water is used as anestimate of productivity or phytoplankton abundance.Phytoplankton, minute free-floating aquatic plants,form the basis of the food web. Since these organismsrespond quickly to environmental changes, theirabundance may serve as a measure of water qualityand an indicator of greater ecosystem change. TheHarbor Survey measures chlorophyll ‘a’ (as asurrogate for phytoplankton) to provide an assessmentof ecosystem health. Levels above 20 µg/L areconsidered indicative of enriched or eutrophic2

conditions, indicating a decline in water quality.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – The levels of oxygendissolved in the water column are critical for respirationof most aquatic life forms, including fish and inverte-brates, such as crabs, clams, zooplankton, etc. Dissolvedoxygen concentration is therefore one of the mostuniversal indicators of overall water quality and ameans of determining habitat and ecosystemconditions.

Secchi Transparency – A Secchi disk is used toestimate the clarity of surface waters. High Secchitransparency (greater than 5 feet) is indicative of clearwater, with declines in transparency typically due tohigh suspended solid concentrations or planktonblooms. Low Secchi readings (less than 3 feet) aretypically associated with degraded waters. Theseconditions are indicative of light limiting conditions,which in turn affect primary productivity and nutrientcycling.

Coliform and dissolved oxygen indicators are used inNew York State Department of EnvironmentalConservation (NYSDEC) standards, to quantify

ecosystem health ordegradation. NYSDECstandards reflect arange of acceptablewater quality conditionscorresponding to theState-designated “bestusage” of the waterbody. Common usesand NYSDECstandards for fecalcoliform and dissolvedoxygen are noted inthe adjacent chart.

1Estuary – a semi-enclosed coastal body of water where fresh water and salt water mix.

2Eutrophic conditions – a condition in which nutrient-rich waters allow for excessive growth of algae, often leading to reduced water clarity and DO levels.

Class Best Usage of Waters Fecal Coliform Dissolved Oxygen(never-less-than)

SA Shellfishing and all other No standard 5.0 mg/Lrecreational use.

SB Bathing and other Monthly geometric mean 5.0 mg/Lrecreational use less than or equal to 200 cells/100mL

from 5 or more samples

I Fishing or boating Monthly geometric mean 4.0 mg/Lless than or equal to 2,000 cells/100mL

from 5 or more samples

SD Fish survival No standard 3.0 mg/L

NYSDEC STANDARDS FOR SALINE WATERS


7

he City of New York hasbeen collecting water qualitydata in New York Harborsince 1909. These data areutilized by regulators, scientists, educators and citizensto assess impacts, trends and improvements in thewater quality of New York Harbor.

The Harbor Survey Program has been the responsibilityof the New York City Department of EnvironmentalProtection’s (NYCDEP) BWT Marine Sciences Section(MSS) for the past 15 years. This effort evolved fromthe initial surveys by the Metropolitan SewerageCommission that began 92 years ago andencompassed 12 stations around Manhattan. Theseinitial surveys were performed in response to publiccomplaints about their quality of life near such a pollutedwaterway. The initial effort has grown into a Survey thatconsists of 45 stations, 33 in the open waters of theHarbor, and 12 stations in smaller tributaries. Thenumber of water quality parameters measured has alsoincreased from five in 1909 to over 20 at present.

Harbor water quality has improved dramatically sincethe initial surveys. Infrastructure improvements andthe capture and treatment of virtually all sewage thatwas dumped into the Harbor are two of the primaryreasons for this improvement. During the last decade,water quality in NY Harbor has improved to the pointthat the waters are now utilized for recreation andcommerce throughout the year. These improvementsin water quality have brought attention to much smallerareas within the harbor that remain impaired.

The NYCDEP’s UrbanWatershed Program hasbegun to focus on thoseareas within the harbor that

remain impacted. This project will look at 23waterbodies and their drainage basins and will developa comprehensive plan for each waterbody to attain itsbest use classification.

This year’s report focuses on the water quality datacollected by the NYCDEP during 2001. Data will be presented in four sections, each delineating ageographic region within the Harbor. Four waterquality parameters will be used as indicators of waterquality. The four parameters are; fecal coliformbacteria, chlorophyll ‘a’, dissolved oxygen, and Secchitransparency. These parameters and their relevanceare explained in a subsequent synopsis. In responseto the events of 9/11, the NYCDEP conductedadditional monitoring cruises. No observable impactswere measured but samples were given to the USEPA for further analysis.

The Harbor Survey program has modified its samplingprogram over the last several years. The number ofopen water stations sampled has been reduced fromfifty-three to thirty-three. The statistics presented inthis report reflect comparisons with only the currentHarbor Survey stations.

Other groups and agencies have contributed to the waterquality improvements seen in New York Harbor. Severalof these efforts will be presented in a separate sectionfollowing the discussion of the Harbor Survey data.

TI N T R O D U C T I O N


8

The Inner Harbor is defined as the

area including: the Hudson River from

the NYC- Westchester line, through

the Battery to the Verrazano Narrows;

the Lower East River to the Battery;

and the Kill Van Kull-Arthur Kill

system. This area contains 14 Harbor

Survey monitoring stations that have

been grouped together due to

common water uses and functions, as

well as similarities in point source

loadings. Waters of the Inner Harbor

are often continuous, through

connecting branches or straits, and

cover a large and diverse geographic

expanse.

Most of the Inner Harbor Area,

excluding the Kills, is classified by

NYSDEC as I, for uses such as fishing

or boating. The area in the Kills is

classified for fish survival only (SD).

The Hudson River, from North of the

Harlem River to Westchester County

is designated for bathing (SB).(Map not to


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

KILL VAN KULL

NEWARK B

AY

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

NE

W

JE

RS

EY

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

HA

RLE

M

EA

ST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

W E S T C H E S T E R

C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W

N6

G2

N7

N4

N5

E2

N1

N3B

K1K2

K3

N8

K4

K5

Harbor Survey Station

N1� Mt. St. VincentN3B� W. 125th StreetN4� W. 42nd StreetN5� The BatteryN6� Bouy "27"G2� Gowanus CanalN7� Robbins ReefN8� The Narrows

KI� B&O Coal DockK2� Shooters IslandK3� B&O R.R. Bridge�K4� Fresh KillsK5� Tottenville

E2� E. 23rd Street

I (fishing)

SD (fish survival)

SB(bathing)

All Inner Harbor stations complied with current fecal coliform (FC)standards for the water body they are located in. Thirteen of thefourteen sites had means below 100 cells/100ml. Past data hasindicated that the Inner Harbor is prone to short duration episodicdegradation following rain events due to additional FC loadingsfrom storm drains and combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Whilethis continues to be true the overall impact has been lessened.This can be seen from the fact that on only a single occasion, attwo stations, did the FC levels exceed 2000 cells /100ml.

F E C A L C O L I F O R M


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

NEWARK B

AY

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

HA

RLE

M

EAST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W

I N N E R H A R B O R A R E A


9

T R E N D S

Fecal coliform levels in the Inner Harbor havedramatically declined over the last three decades. TheFC levels averaged over 2000 cells/100ml in the early70’s and have declined to below 100 cell/100mlcurrently. This improvement has allowed for theopening of Inner Harbor waters for most recreationalactivities. This improvement has been attributed to thecessation of raw sewage from New York City’s WaterPollution Control Plants (WPCPs), the elimination ofillegal discharges into the waterbody, and the reductionof CSOs. Year to year variations have become moreapparent with the reduction of FC to levels belowstandards.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) values in the Inner Harbor areadeclined slightly from 2000. Two stations within theInner Harbor had average values below the NYSDECstandards for the bottom waters. All surface valueswere above the standards. Discrete DO measurementsfailed to comply with NYSDEC standards 8.3% of thetime as compared with 5.6% in 2000.

T R E N D S

Average summer DO values in the Inner Harbor haverisen to levels above NYSDEC standards for primarycontact recreation and commercial fisheries. Bottomwater values have risen from approximately 3mg/l in1970 to 5mg/l at present. The mitigation of impactsfrom the WPCPs and CSOs has shown that swings inDO may be due to the natural phenomenon such asweather.

D I S S O L V E D O X Y G E N

Fec

al C

olifo

rm (

No.

/100

mL)


S U M M E R G E O M E T R I C M E A N

F E C A L C O L I F O R MF E C A L C O L I F O R M

Y e a r

1

10

100

1000

10000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

CONFIDENCE INTERVAL SURFACE WATER

Pre 1985 data represent surfaceand bottom composites




S U M M E R A V E R A G E

D I S S O L V E D O X Y G E ND I S S O L V E D O X Y G E N

Y e a r

Dis

solv

ed O

xyge

n (m

g/L)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

BOTTOM WATERSURFACE WATER




10


All stations within the Inner Harbor area had averagesummer chlorophyll values below the 20µg/l level.Twelve of the fourteen stations had levels below 10µg/l.

T R E N D S

The Inner Harbor shows the least inter-annualvariability in chlorophyll concentrations. Levels rarelyvary more than a few percent, most likely as a result ofhigher flushing rates from Hudson River flow. Thereseems to be a slight overall increase in chlorophyllsince 1985 when measurements began.

C H L O R O P H Y L L ‘a ’ C H L O R O P H Y L L ' a 'C H L O R O P H Y L L ' a 'I N N E R H A R B O R A R E A


Y e a r

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

NEWARK B

AY

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

HA

RLE

M

EAST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W


11

Secchi depth does not have a criteria or standard inNew York Harbor. Lower Secchi depths indicate turbidwater that may be light limiting or contain a highbiomass of phytoplankton that could indicate futurewater quality problems.

Average Secchi values for 2001 were virtually identicalto past years. The average value for stations in theInner Harbor remained slightly below five feet with aslight increase from 2000.

T R E N D S

Secchi values have remained relatively constant in the Inner Harbor since measurements were begun in 1986. There has been only a couple of percentvariation over the last 16 years. This can most likely be attributed to the flow from the Hudson River. The Hudson flushes the Inner Harbor rapidly and thedominant signature would be the suspended sedimentload in Hudson River water.

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C YS E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C YS E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y



Y e a r

Sec

chi D

epth

(fe

et)

0

2

4

6

8

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000


12

EA

ST

RIV

ER

S

EW

N

B R O O K L Y N

LONGISLANDSOUND


C O U N T Y

BOWERY BAY

FLUSHINGCREEK

LITTLENECK

BAY

HEMPSTEADHARBOR

Q U E E N S


I (fishing)

SB (bathing)

E4

E8E7

E6

E10

E4� Hell GateE6� Flushing BayE7� WhitestoneE8� Throgs NecE10� Hart Island�

H3� E. 155th Street

NE

W

JE

RS

EY

B R O N X

WESTCHESTERCREEK

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER RIV

ER

HA

RLE

M

BRONX RIVER

EASTCHESTERBAY

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

H3

S

EW

N

The Upper East River/Long Island Sound (LIS)showed a slight increase in FC for 2001. Averagefecal coliform levels increased from 19 cells/100 ml to65 cells/ 100ml. Weather and illegal connection aresuspected of causing this upturn. Weather in 2001was particularly dry and warm, which may have led toconditions favorable for the growth of FC bacteria.Several recently discovered illegal discharges fromapartment buildings have been identified bordering theHarlem/Hudson River confluence. These may becontributing to the high levels of FC observed at H3.Corrective action is on-going.

The Upper East River-Western Long Island

Sound (UER-WLIS) represents the north-

eastern portion of NY Harbor, from Hell

Gate in the East River, up into the Western

Long Island Sound (WLIS). The HarborSurvey Program provides coverage of this

area, including the Harlem River and the

East River, from Roosevelt Island to Hart

Island at the NYC- Westchester County

boundary. This area contains 6 Harbor

Survey monitoring stations. Waters of this

vicinity, though divergent in salinity and

depth, share similarities in pollutant

loadings and are targeted for intensive

management efforts as part of the LongIsland Sound National Estuary Program.

The majority of the Upper East River-Western

Long Island Sound complex is classified as I,

for uses such as fishing or boating, with the

area east of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge

designated for bathing (SB).


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

NEWARK B

AY

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

HA

RLE

M

EA

ST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W

UPPER EAST RIVER–WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND

F E C A L C O L I F O R MUPPER EAST RIVER-WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND



Y e a r

Fec

al C

olifo

rm (

No.

/100

mL)

1

10

100

1000

10000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000






13

T R E N D S

Fecal coliform levels in 2001 reversed the trend thathas been observed in the Upper East River/LIS for thepast twenty years. While the percent increase wasrelatively large there were only two instances of FClevels exceeding NYSDEC standards and averagevalues at all stations were well below the standardlevels. A similar upturn was observed in 1989, andsubsequently continued the downward trend evidentfor the past two decades.

Average summer DO values in the Upper EastRiver/LIS showed a pattern similar to fecal coliform.However, at all stations the surface waters met orexceeded state standards, and only two stationsshowed average levels below standards in the bottomwaters. This is a reduction from the three stationsobserved in 2000 and each of these stations wasabove the hypoxia threshold of 3mg/l.

T R E N D S

The DO levels in the Upper East River/LIS haveincreased almost 2mg/l for surface waters and 1.5mg/lfor bottom waters since 1970. This improvement hasresulted in the waters attaining average values thatmeet the bathing standards for much of the water bodyin the surface waters. Inter-annual variability as seenfrom 2000 to 2001 could be the result of the weatherpatterns.

D I S S O L V E D O X Y G E ND I S S O L V E D O X Y G E ND I S S O L V E D O X Y G E N

UPPER EAST RIVER-WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND


Y e a r

�Dis

solv

ed O

xyge

n (m

g/L)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000





14

UPPER EAST RIVER–WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND

Chlorophyll concentrations for the Upper EastRiver/LIS also exhibited a pattern similar to that of FCand DO. The summer average value for all stationswas 17.4µg/l, and three stations had average valueshigher than the 20µg/ level used by the NYCDEP toindicate eutrophic conditions.

T R E N D S

Chlorophyll values in 2001 reversed a trend that hadbeen evident since the sharp decrease in values in1997. A comprehensive plan is being developed toreduce nutrient discharges into the Upper EastRiver/LIS. Elements of this plan include upgrading of all UER treatment plants and the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the

waterbody. This plan should be completed by 2014.This should reduce the amount of nutrients availablefor algal growth and continue the downward trendobserved in past years. More information on thenitrogen plan for NY harbor is available at theNYCDEP websitewww.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/nitrogen.html.

C H L O R O P H Y L L ‘a ’



C H L O R O P H Y L L ' a 'C H L O R O P H Y L L ' a '

Y e a r

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

NEWARK B

AY

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

HA

RLE

M

EA

ST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W


15

Average Secchi values for the Upper East River/LISshowed a slight decrease (4.6 ft to 4.4 ft) from 2000sampling. This would be expected with higherchlorophyll levels indicating that there were moreparticles in the water column thus reducing the Secchi depth.

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C YS E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y



Y e a r

Sec

chi D

epth

(fe

et)

0

2

4

6

8

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

T R E N D S

Average Secchi depth has varied between 4 and 5 feetsince measurements began in 1986. An increasingtrend begun in the late 1990’s was reversed in 2000and continued into 2001. Secchi depths correlate verywell with chlorophyll values. An increase in theaverage chlorophyll for the region generally indicates acorresponding decrease in the Secchi depth.


16

Eight of nine stations in Jamaica Bay had averagesummer fecal coliform values well below the bathingstandard set by the NYSDEC. The one exception islocated in Sheepshead Bay, that experiences alocalized impact. The cause of this is underinvestigation, but vessel traffic is suspected. Theaverage summer value at that station (J11), whileabove the NYSDEC standard (SB) that the rest ofJamaica Bay is classified under, is well below the

2000 cells/ 100ml (NYSDEC class I) that thewaterbody it is located in, is subject to.

Wet weather conditions have traditionally caused short term localized degradation of water quality in thenorthern portion (Mill Basin to Bergen Basin) JamaicaBay. During these events, much of the northernportion of the Bay will have individual values above the200 cells/100ml standard. These events are short induration and typically return to base conditions duringthe next dry weather sampling event.

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

S

EW

N

CONEY ISLAND

SHEEPSHEAD BAY

MILL BASIN

J F K

A I R P O R T

SPRING CREEK

PAERDEGAT BASIN

R O C K A W A Y

BERGEN BASIN

J2

J1

J11J5

J7J8

J9AJ3

J12



I (fishing)

SB (bathing)

J1� Rockaway InletJ2� Mill BasinJ3� Canarsie PierJ5� Railroad TrestleJ7� Bergen BasinJ8� Spring CreekJ9A� Fresh CreekJ11� Sheepshead BayJ12� Gessy Bay

Jamaica Bay is located at the southwestern

end of Long Island. This urban, estuarine

embayment and national park consists

primarily of tidal wetlands, upland areas,

and open waters. The Bay and its drainage

area are almost entirely within the boroughs

of Brooklyn and Queens, except for a small

area at the eastern end that is in Nassau

County. Jamaica Bay joins the New York

Harbor to the west, via the Rockaway Inlet

at the tip of Breezy Point and includes the

Rockaway Peninsula, which forms the

southern limit of the Bay and separates it

from the Atlantic Ocean. This estuarine

water body, consisting of approximately

20 square miles of open water, is covered

by 9 Harbor Survey monitoring stations.

Open waters of Jamaica Bay are classified for

bathing or other recreational use (SB). Areas

within the Bay’s tributaries and dead-end

canals are prone to reduced water quality due

to direct surface runoff and poor flushing.

These areas are designated for secondary

contact use (I), such as fishing or boating.

EA

ST

RIV

ER


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

N E W J E R S E Y

HA

RLE

MR

IVE

R

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

S

E

N

W

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

NEWARK B

AY

J A M A I C A B A Y



17

T R E N D S

Fecal coliform in Jamaica Bay has shown a slightincrease during the last two years after stabilizing forthree years. The trend is slight and the average valuesare still well below water body standards. Weatherrelated events may have accounted for this increase.The NYCDEP is in the process of constructing CSOstorage tanks and upgrading its treatment facilities,which should further mitigate any impact from thesesources into the Bay.

All stations in Jamaica Bay had average surfaceconcentrations higher than the 5mg/l standard. Twostations (J7, J12) had average values slightly below thestandard. J12 is a new station located in a deep areaof Grassy Bay that would be expected to exhibit lowerlevels because of summer stratification that occurs inthis portion of Jamaica Bay.

This stratification is “normal” considering thebathymetry of the area. Grassy Bay was created bydredging to create JFK runways. The resultingdepression allows water to become isolated andstratify during the summer months. When this occurs,there is little or no turnover of water from the surfaceand biological activity depletes any oxygen in thewater. Unless a major storm event or other mixingoccurs, the water may remain oxygen depleted forseveral months.


J A M A I C A B A Y



Y e a r

Fec

al C

olifo

rm (

No.

/100

mL)

1

10

100

1000

10000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000






J A M A I C A B A Y


Y e a r

�Dis

solv

ed O

xyge

n (m

g/L)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000




T R E N D S

DO concentrations in Jamaica Bay have shown steadyimprovement since 1970, with recent levels oftenabove 8mg/l. Average surface values havetraditionally been high in the Bay, the most probablecause being the large algal blooms that regularly occurin the Bay.


18

J A M A I C A B A Y

High chlorophyll concentrations in Jamaica Bay arecommon during the summer. The Bay traditionallyhas the highest chlorophyll levels found in New YorkHarbor. The average value for the Bay was greaterthan 50µg/l during 2001. These values indicateeutrophic conditions that have existed in the bay forsome time.


EA

ST

RIV

ER


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

KILL VAN KULL

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

N E W J E R S E Y

HA

RLE

MR

IVE

R

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

S

E

N

W

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

NEWARK B

AY

J A M A I C A B A Y



Y e a r

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000


19

T R E N D S

Chlorophyll levels have increased 81% since 1986,with recent years showing wide inter-annual variations.Levels seemed to have peaked in 1995 andchlorophyll levels actually exhibited a slight (4%)decrease for 2001. Complaints of nuisance algalblooms and fish kills were also substantially reduced in2001. Weather or a reduction in the input of nutrientsto the bay may account for this reduction. TheNYCDEP is currently upgrading its treatment facilitieswith biological nutrient reduction (BNR), which willfurther reduce nutrient inputs into the Bay.

The NYCDEP has recently initiated the UrbanWatershed Program to develop comprehensive plansfor each water body to enable it to attain its best use.The National Parks Service (NPS) has formed a blueribbon panel to investigate the loss of wetlands withinthe Bay consisting of federal, state and local agencies,scientists and concerned citizens.

Average Secchi transparency showed a reduction from2000 levels. The Summer average declined to 3.6 feetfrom 4.4 in 2000, a decrease of 22%. This decline wasnot reflected in an increase of chlorophyll in the Bay, as was the case in other areas of the Harbor. Thisindicates that phytoplankton were most likely notresponsible for this decline. All sites within the Bayshowed average values between three and four feet.

T R E N D S

Annual Secchi averages had remained fairly constantsince the mid-1990’s. The decrease in 2001 is not asprecipitous as the one in 1993, but is significant. Onepossible explanation could be the increased rate ofmarshland decline. As the wetlands break up moresediment is released into the water column and,combined with the slow flushing rate in the Bay, couldresult in an increase in the suspended solids load.Further study by the DEP and the NPS Blue RibbonPanel is underway.

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C YS E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y

J A M A I C A B A Y


Y e a r

Sec

chi D

epth

(fe

et)

0

2

4

6

8

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y


20

Fecal coliform levels in the Lower Bay/Raritan areasurpassed NYS standards and all stations hadaverage summer values below 20 cells/100ml. Onlyone sample taken over the summer showed a levelabove 200 cells/100ml.

The Lower NY Bay-Raritan Bay

(LNYB-RB) vicinity represents the

most oceanic portion of the HarborSurvey Program. This area of 100

square miles is represented by 4

Harbor Survey monitoring stations and

is composed mostly of open shallow

waters, partially confined by

Brooklyn’s Coney Island to the north,

Staten Island to the northwest, and

New Jersey’s Middlesex and

Monmouth Counties and Sandy Hook

to the south. The remainder of its

eastern boundary is open to

Rockaway Inlet and the greater

Atlantic Ocean.

This area of the Harbor is classified

for bathing and other recreational use

(SB). Portions of those waters are also

designated for the permitted use of

shellfishing (for relay to cleaner waters,

but not direct consumption), having a

stricter use classification of SA.

KILL VAN KULL


B R O O K L Y N

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

NEWARK B

AY

S

EW

N

CI

RARITANBAY

AR

TH

UR

KIL

L

JAMAICABAY

A T L A N T I CO C E A N

PRINCESBAY

HUGUENOTBEACH

GREAT KILLSHARBOR

SOUTH

BEACH

CONEY ISLAND

ROCKAWAY

K5A

K6

N16

N9

K5A� Raritan RiverK6� Old Orchard Light

N9� Steeplechase PierN16� Rockaway


SB (bathing)

SA (shellfishing)

SANDY HOOK

N E W J E R S E Y


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

HA

RLE

M

EA

ST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W

KILL VAN KULL

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

NEWARK B

AY

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

K

ILL

LO W E R NE W YO R K BA Y–RA R I T A N BA Y



21

T R E N D S

The Lower New York Bay/Raritan area has seen anorder of magnitude drop in fecal coliform concentra-tions since 1974. Since 1997, the trend has flattenedout at approximately an average 5 cells/100ml. Thattrend continued in 2001, which showed a summeraverage of 6 cells/100ml. Shellfishing beds in RaritanBay, which were opened as a result of these waterquality improvements, remained unaffected by anyproblems in 2001.

Average DO concentrations met NYS bathingstandards for all sites in both surface and bottomwaters for the Lower New York Bay/Raritan. Actual DO samples were below the standard on only 8occasions out of 66 samples during 2001.


T R E N D S

Concentrations of DO in the Lower Bay have remainedabove NYS standards since 1970. Recent levelsseem to have steadied at approximately 8mg/l forsurface waters and 6 mg/l for bottom waters.


LOWER NEW YORK BAY-RARITAN BAY


Y E A R

Fec

al C

olifo

rm (

No.

/100

mL)

1

10

100

1000

10000

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000








Y E A R

�Dis

solv

ed O

xyge

n (m

g/L)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000





22

LO W E R NE W YO R K BA Y–RA R I T A N BA Y


RARITANBAY

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

UPPER BAY

NARROWS

JAMAICABAY

HA

RLE

M

EA

ST

RIV

ER

HU

DS

ON

RIV

ER

RIV

ER

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N


C O U N T Y

LONG ISLANDSOUND

S

E

N

W

KILL VAN KULL

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

NEWARK B

AY

N E W J E R S E Y

AR

TH

UR

KIL

L




Y E A R

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Average chlorophyll concentration for the Lower Baywas almost 18µg/l. This level is typical of levels seenduring recent years. The relatively shallow waters ofRaritan Bay combined with the nutrient input from theUpper Bay and East River provide an ideal environ-ment for phytoplankton blooms to occur. Theseblooms are not as intense or as extensive as those inJamaica Bay because of the greater flushing within the Lower Bay.



23

S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y S E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C YS E C C H I T R A N S P A R E N C Y



Y E A R

Sec

chi D

epth

(fe

et)

0

2

4

6

8

10

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

T R E N D S

Following a large peak in 1995 and the subsequentdrop in 1996, chlorophyll values have remainedrelatively stable in the Lower Bay. The recent threeyear decline was reversed in 2001, with an increase inaverage chlorophyll of 16% in the Lower Bay.

Secchi depths in the Lower Bay show large variabilityup to 1995. Secchi depths then began a steadilyincreasing trend until 1999, leveling off in 2000 atapproximately seven feet. Average Secchi depths atall stations in the Lower Bay remained above 5 feet for 2001.

T R E N D S

2001 saw a Secchi depths decline similar to those inJamaica Bay. The Lower Bay, however, showed aslight increase in chlorophyll concentration that couldaccount for some of this decline. Another likely causeis the weather. Dryer weather during 2001 most likelycaused a reduced flow in the Hudson River. Thesediment load would have remained approximately thesame as previous years, and this would result in ahigher net concentration of solids in the waters of theLower Bay.

2001SUMMARY OF NYCDEP POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAMS

24

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Although water pollution control has been a concern in NY Harbor since the late 1800’s, a massive waste-water treatment plant construction did not begin in theCity until 1931, which was accelerated in the 1970’s withClean Water Act (CWA). In 1985 and 1986, the last of14 treatment plants, North River and Red Hook, wentinto operation. As startling as it may now seem, untilNorth River went on line, sewage from the entire westside of Manhattan, north of Canal Street, went into theHudson River untreated!

Today, North River treats 125 MG daily and the 14plants treat a total of 1.2 billion gallons per day ofwastewater. It is important to understand that municipalwastewater treatment systems were originally designedto treat organic material and bacteria during dryweather. During wet weather, the system (sewers &plants) was designed to overflow to local waterwayswithout treatment; commonly called combined seweroverflows (CSO). Furthermore, the plants are notdesigned to treat metals, other toxics or grease and oil.Toxics that entered the sewers ended-up in either bio-solids, plant effluent or as air emissions withoutreduction. Neither were the plants designed to treatnitrogen; a nutrient in residential sanitary sewage.These factors (control of toxics and grease, treatment ofwet weather flow and nutrients) remain a continuingchallenge to improving environmental quality in NYC.

Wastewater treatment program managers areconstantly striving to do more with existing resources.For instance, the pollution prevention control programhas expanded from 1,000 regulated firms to 30,000regulated firms over the last 12 years, without anincrease in staff.

During that time, metals in wastewater have droppedfrom 7800 to 2800 pounds per day, city-wide. In fact,heavy industry now accounts for less than 1% of metalsin raw sewage, city-wide. Accordingly, DEP strives toshift our resources to other problem areas includingcontrol of PCB’s, mercury, and other toxicants ofconcern; as well as quality of life issues related to

S U M M A R Y O F NYCDEP P O L L U T I O N C O N T R O L P R O G R A M S

grease, e.g. sewer backups. New DEP regulations aredeveloped jointly with our Citizens Advisory Committee(CAC), which has been in place for over 10 years.

Treatment plant operations programs have alsoexpanded dramatically over the last 10 years. Thepractice of Ocean Dumping of sludge was banned in1992. This required construction of eight sludgedewatering facilities at a cost of about $1 billion and thedevelopment of a land based biosolids program. Nearly200 staff were required to operate this program.Virtually all were drawn from the operations andmaintenance staff of existing plants. At about the sametime, the plants began treatment of wet-weather flowthrough a series of Best Management Practices which havelargely been adopted as the standard by EPA for allcommunities with CSO’s. Last but not least, in 1996, our state permits were expanded to require BiologicalNitrogen Removal (BNR).

As a direct result of Bureau of Wastewater Treatment(BWT) programs, there is overwhelming evidence thatNew York Harbor’s environment is cleaner and thewater quality better than at any time since the early1900’s. All public beaches have been open since 1992.Wet weather beach advisories have been lifted at all butthree of these beaches. Priority pollutants are in declinein sediment and bottom dwelling creatures haverecovered. Shore birds have returned to breed inseveral areas of the harbor. Fish advisories andshellfish restrictions have been relaxed.

During these next 10 years, DEP anticipates a furtherneed to do more with existing resources or with modestincreases at best. This challenge results from severaldeveloping programs including:

more stringent effluent limits at 8 plants due tonutrient restrictions, which are being addressed by retrofitting the plants for Biological NutrientRemoval (BNR) processes;

operation & maintenance (O & M) of several newwet weather treatment facilities, to be built at cost ofmore than $1 billion under the CSO program;


25

plant upgrades, mentioned above, that willmodernize these facilities but also add, significant O & M needs for the additional equipment and forthe odor control systems; and

trackdown and control of toxicants of concernincluding mercury, PCB’s and various solvents(VOC’s) involving potentially thousands of NYCcommercial or industrial firms; using innovativeregulatory approaches to minimize impact on theregulated community and DEP resources.

W A T E R P O L L U T I O N C O N T R O LP L A N T S

The challenges the BWT faces in the next 10 years arestill evolving and will further improve harbor waterquality. However, it is essential that the existing plantscontinue to meet existing State permits requirementsthus retaining recent water quality improvementsthroughout the Harbor which provide a “platform” foradditional improvements. Many of the plants operatewith aged and obsolete equipment and will be upgradedbecause equipment is worn out and stringent treatmentrequirements dictate improvements.

DEP owns and operates 14 sewage treatment plantswithin the City. All but one, the Newtown Creek Plant inBrooklyn, have been upgraded or built to provide fullsecondary treatment of sewage in accordance with theapplicable State and Federal regulations. An interimupgrade is underway at Newtown Creek to keep theplant operating efficiently while the long-term plan toachieve full secondary treatment is developed.Construction of the interim upgrade began in 1994 andwill continue until Calendar 2003. The interim upgradeincludes measures to reduce odor and air emissionsand tests of pollutant removal efficiencies. Finalupgrade construction began in Calendar 1998 andoperation will commence in 2007. Upon completion ofthe final upgrade, the Newtown Creek Plant will providefull secondary treatment.

In addition, the following plants are either in the facilityplanning, design or construction phase of capital projects:Wards Island in Manhattan; Tallman Island, JamaicaBay and Bowery Bay, in Queens; Hunts Point in theBronx; and 26th Ward in Brooklyn. The upgrade ofthese facilities, which includes equipment replacementand the installation of additional controls, will improveperformance and reliability. As part of the upgrade, the

nitrogen removal capability at these plants will beimproved. Hunts Point, Tallman Island, and 26th Wardare in the design phase, and the remaining plants are indesign and construction phases. In Fiscal 2002, DEPbegan the facility planning stage for the Staten IslandTreatment Plants (Port Richmond and Oakwood Beach)and the Rockaway Treatment Plant in Queens. Inaddition the DEP is installing a computerizedmaintenance management system throughout itsfacilities to allow more efficient deployment of staff;saving limited resources and improving plant reliability.

S H O R E L I N E S U R V E Y /S E N T I N E LM O N I T O R I N G P R O G R A M S

DEP initiated a program to investigate and eliminate thedry weather discharge of raw sewage into New YorkHarbor in 1988. This program originally involved adetailed evaluation of the entire 425 miles of shorelinewithin the City. DEP personnel examined over 3,000outfalls for dry weather discharges and conductedsampling of those found to be discharging. The initialsurvey found over 3 million gallons per day of rawsewage discharging into the harbor waters during dryweather. To date, DEP has abated 96% of thesedischarges and continues to work to abate thoseremaining through capital construction of new sewersand enforcement actions to correct illegal connections to storm sewers.

While the initial shoreline survey was extremely effectivein identifying and abating dry weather discharges, itreached a point of diminishing returns. DEP thusmodified its program by the establishment of theSentinel Monitoring Program that operates inconjunction with the Shoreline Survey Program. TheSentinel Monitoring Program established 80 stationswithin NY harbor and its tributaries. DEP sampled all 80stations to establish a Fecal Coliform ambient baseline.DEP samples each station on a quarterly basis andcompares these results with the baseline fecal coliformreadings. Exceedances trigger a mini shoreline surveyto determine the source of the exceedance. This newsystem has proved successful in identifying new dryweather discharges and in also effectively maximizingthe productivity of DEP staff resources. DEP recentlyrelocated a number of its Sentinel Stations to furtherenhance the reliability of this program.


26

T E L E M E T R Y

Installation of telemetry at 91 City pumping stationssince 1998 has improved monitoring and communica-tions between these facilities and NYCDEP operators.This system enables NYCDEP personnel to view fromcomputers historical or real-time data for all connectedpump stations. Automatic alarms for a dozen criticalvalues notify shift engineers as to condition changes,including: force main pressure, wet and dry well liquidlevel, electric power supply, pump operation, and sluicegate position. In its third year of operation, this programhas already succeeded in reducing dry weatherbypasses by enabling NYCDEP personnel to respondmore quickly to malfunctions, breakdowns, or othersystem disruptions. Currently telemetry is beinginstalled at 102 regulators to further improve monitoringof the system and reduce potential bypassing.

E N H A N C E D B E A C H P R O T E C T I O NP R O G R A M

As a response to a series of collection facilities failuresand beach closures in June of 1997, on July 2, 1997, theDEP instituted an annual Enhanced Beach ProtectionProgram (EBPP) to implement increased levels ofsurveillance and improved corrective maintenanceprocedures for critical pumping stations and regulations.

For 2001, the new program’s goals included: 1) anaverage bypass response time of eight hours versus 24

hours previously, 2) starting the program on May 25th,prior to the beginning of the bathing season, 3)monitoring additional beach sensitive that have beenidentified as high maintenance facilities, 4) increasingthe frequency and locations monitored through the useof Harbor Marine Programs, and 5) using telemetry tomonitor virtually all pumping stations.

As a result of the EBPP, the total amount of raw sewagebypassed during dry weather from all pump stations andregulators during the 2001 season was less than0.0002% of total dry weather flow treated at the fourteenWPCPs during that period. This represents a 97%decrease from the previous year. See figure.

There were no public beach closures due to CollectionFacilities bypasses during the 2001 EBPP.

I N C R E A S E D W E T W E A T H E RC A P T U R E

During Fiscal 2001, DEP continued the program tocontrol CSO. In wet weather, the City’s sewer systemreceives rainwater drained from streets. The rainwatercombines with the sanitary wastewater from homes andbusinesses that is carried in the same system of pipes.During heavy rainfalls, part of this combined flow isdirected to City treatment plants, and the remainder isdischarged into the surrounding waters as CSOs. TheCity has gradually increased its capture of the mixture of

Am

ount

Byp

asse

d (M

G)

Enhanced Beach Protect ion Program�Raw Bypasses

Enhanced Beach Protect ion Program�Raw Bypasses

0

4

8

12

16

20

May* Jun Jul Aug Sep May* Jun Jul Aug Sep May***Jun Jul Aug Sep** May# Jun Jul Aug Sep##Jun Jul Aug Sep**

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

EBPP Regulators

Non-EBPP Pump Stations

*� May 15 - May 31**� Sep 1 - Sep 15***�May 26 - May 31

Non-EBPP Regulators

EBPP Pump Stations Others#� May 25 - May 31##� Sep 1 - Sep 3


27

rainwater and sanitary sewage that flows through thecombined sewer system during wet weather. In 1987,the City captured and treated only 18 percent of the wetwater flow. By Calendar 2001, the City captured andtreated 62 percent of the wet weather flow. Waterconservation has also increased capacity for CombinedSewer Overflow (CSO) capture at the plants.

W A T E R C O N S E R V A T I O N

Since 1992, dry weather flow at all 14 treatment plantshas dropped over 250 MGD. Most of this reduction isdue to water conservation. This phenomenal successstory is the result of a comprehensive program thatincludes water metering, leak detection, toilet rebates,residential water survey, commercial audits and a host of education efforts.

During FY2001, the department performed 42,635residential water surveys and 21,289 water saving kitswere distributed. More than 94% of accounts had beenmetered by the end of 2001. Of the remaining unmeteredaccounts approximately 25,000 have been surchargedfor failing to take appropriate steps to have a meterinstalled; the remainder have active work orders inqueues with DEP contractors for meter installations. Thetotal number of water/sewer bills that are estimated hasdropped steadily, from approximately 42 percent at theend of Fiscal 1996, to 15 percent by the end of Fiscal 2001.

DEP continued its privatized meter reading program inStaten Island and the Bronx during Fiscal 2001, savingapproximately $480,000 annually. The Departmentawarded a contract in August 2001 to Con Edison who

now does all 5 boroughs. In conjunction with the meterinstallations, NYC Housing Authority will incorporate anautomated meter reading system into its water meters toestablish a new, comprehensive database for billing andauditing water consumption of all its developments.

F L O A T A B L E S C O N T R O L

Floatables consist primarily of manmade debris thatfloats on or below the water surface. They contribute toseveral problems in the region including beach closings,interference with navigation, entanglement of wildlife,and aesthetic impairments. Excluding pier debris,approximately 95% of floatables in the Harbor havebeen estimated to originate from street litter conveyedvia combined sewers and storm sewers.

To better control and capture floatables, NYCDEPbegan an interim Boom and Skim Program in 1993.This program currently consists of 22 containmentbooms and 2 netting systems placed at key tributarylocations and four skimmer vessels. For calendar year2001, this program collected some 583 yd3 of floatabletrash. NYCDEP’s custom-built, open water vessel, theHSV CORMORANT collected 224 tons in 2001.Approximately 40 tons were plastics, metal, rubber, andother trash.

Catch basins that transport street runoff to combined orstorm sewers serve as a major conduit for street litter toHarbor waters and local beaches. The placement of ahood on a catch basin outlet pipe can serve as a baffle,preventing floatable debris from entering the sewersystem. Efficiency tests have shown hooded basins tosubstantially reduce the number of floatable items

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discharged by an average of 72% (Grey and Oliveri,1998). As part of its long-term strategy to controlfloatables, NYCDEP initiated a citywide Catch BasinProgram in 1996. This program inspected, cleaned,(and where necessary) replaced hoods onapproximately 125,000 City catch basins by the end of1999. Another 12,000 basins (for which hoods could notoriginally be placed) are being considered for reconstruc-tion or modified hood placement. Placement of hoodsand re-inspection and cleaning of catch basins continueto prevent street litter from ending up as ‘floatables.’

A B A T E M E N T O F C O M B I N E DS E W E R O V E R F L O W S

As part of a multi-year Citywide CSO AbatementProgram, the City has committed $1.5 billion forconstruction of CSO abatement facilities over the period1998-2008. Water quality studies have been used todetermine where and to what extent capture andtreatment of CSOs are necessary to meet New YorkState Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)water quality standards. In Fiscal 2001, DEP continuedconstruction of a 28.4 million-gallon underground CSOstorage tank facility beneath Flushing Meadow-CoronaPark in Queens. The CSO storage tank will abatecombined sewer discharge into Flushing Bay. As part ofthe last phase of the project, DEP bid a contract tocomplete tank construction and equip the CSO facility inFiscal 2001. The award of the contact was delayed dueto an increase in the scope of work at the facility. Workis expected to begin in Fiscal 2002.

The design of an underground tank that will abate CSOinto the Paerdegat Basin in Brooklyn, a tributary ofJamaica Bay, is also underway. DEP has completedconstruction of influent channel structures. In Fiscal2002, DEP will advertise and bid out a contract for thefoundation and substructure of the underground tank.

More immediate steps to reduce CSO impacts havealso been achieved through full implementation of theUS Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recom-mended Nine Minimum Controls (NMCs). Someelements of the NMCs implemented over the past ten years are described below.

S T O R M W A T E R P R O G R A M

To estimate City storm water loadings, NYCDEP iscompleting a characterization of storm water runoff fromfive different land use locations, including: highways,commercial areas, heavy industrial zones, and high andlow density residential areas. As part of this effort, aninventory of industrial and waste handling facilities thatdischarge to the municipal separate storm system wascompiled to better regulate these entities. Storm waterprovisions have now been incorporated into dischargepermits or directives for industrial pretreatment firms.The effectiveness of the storm water program, nowmandated through the City’s State Pollutant DischargeElimination System (SPDES) permits, in terms of theexpected reduction of pollutant loadings, is now beingevaluated. Other planned initiatives under the StormWater Program include: control of construction andcontaminated site runoff, assessment of the effective-ness of a Spill Response/Slug Control Program,enforcement against improper disposal of spent vehiclefluids, and the implementation of a program to controlrelease of specific toxicants from non-industrial pretreat-ment firms that discharge to the municipal sewer system.

T H E I N D U S T R I A L P R E T R E A T M E N TP R O G R A M

DEP is the federally authorized Control Authority for theIndustrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) within the City ofNew York. DEP received its Control Authority status inMarch 1987. The IPP was mandated by the CleanWater Act to apply uniform wastewater discharge limitsfor heavy metals, organic and inorganic chemicals, andother toxic components from industrial sources.

DEP currently regulates 551 facilities that discharge intoits sewer system. The industries regulated include,electroplating, metal finishing, organic chemical, plastersand synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, centralized wastetreatment, inorganic chemical, drum recycling, and paintand ink manufacturing. The industrial facilities areissued permits, and must conduct periodic wastewatertesting and reporting to DEP to certify compliance withapplicable discharge limits. Additionally, DEP staffconducts periodic, unannounced inspections andsampling of these facilities.


29

The IPP has successfully addressed the discharge ofheavy metals from industry into the sewer system asindicated in the graph above. Total metals dischargeshave been reduced from over 9,000 pounds per day toless than 2,900 pounds per day. Moreover, industrialmetals’ discharges have been reduced from over 2,800pounds per day to less than 40 pounds per day. Theongoing program is geared to maintain the success inthe metals discharge arena and reallocate resources to the other toxic discharges as discussed in more detail below.

P O L L U T I O N P R E V E N T I O N -C I T I Z E N S A D V I S O R Y C O M M I T T E E

DEP has utilized a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)for its pretreatment program since March 1989 and itsbiosolids program since the end of ocean dumping inthe early 1990’s. As the interests of the two overlap,these two CAC’s were recently combined to form thePollution Prevention CAC. The CAC is composed ofprivate citizens, environmental organizations, membersof Academia, and industry stakeholders. Its meetingsare also attended by local officials and othergovernmental agencies.

The CAC meets every other month (except in thesummer) to address issues concerning the DEP’swastewater management programs. The CAC motto is

“Pro-Business-Anti-Pollution”. The CAC encouragesand assists DEP in implementing environmentally soundpublic policy involving acceptable and economicallyfeasible short and long term programs. The CAC iscurrently focusing its efforts on the toxic pollutanttrackdown of PCB’s and mercury.

P E R S I S T E N T P O L L U T A N TT R A C K D O W N

DEP is continually adapting its wastewater environmentalprograms to address new issues of concern. Some ofthe current projects in progress under the PersistentPollution Trackdown program, include the trackdown ofthe sources of PCB’s, PAH’s, mercury, and other organiccompounds. DEP has worked hand in hand with theNYSDEC on the PCB trackdown program for a numberof years. This fiscal year the program hit pay dirt with theidentification of a major, previously unknown, source ofPCB’s into the sewer system and NY Harbor. A largepigment manufacturing plant, Sun Chemical, was foundto be discharging PCB’s, an unintended by-product, inits wastewater discharge from a certain type of pigmentsit manufactures. This facility entered into a ConsentOrder with DEP and has completed the process ofphasing out all production of this specific pigment line byApril 1, 2002. The facility will also conduct a plantcleanup and followup testing under DEP oversight. DEPcontinues to work with NYSDEC to identify other sourcesof PCB’s within the city.

M E R C U R Y

Mercury concentration limitations in the ambient watersof the harbor are currently exceeded. In order to addressthis issue, DEP is working with the New York Academyof Science on its study of sources of mercury in theharbor. The report “Pollution Prevention andManagement Strategies for Mercury in the NY/NJHarbor” is expected to be finalized in the coming months.Based on preliminary drafts of this report, wastewatereffluent is a significant source of the mercury in theharbor. Additionally, a major mercury impact to thesewer system appears to be from dental facilities. As afirst step, DEP is conducting further sampling of dentalfacilities to confirm this conclusion. At this time, it isanticipated that DEP will be proposing a Best

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Trends in metals loadings to�New York City WPCP’s

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Management Practice regulation to control the mercurydischarges from dental facilities into the sewer system.The Academy study also indicates that hospitals andlaboratories are sources of mercury. These sources willsubsequently be investigated and addressed.

D R Y C L E A N E R S - PERC

Perchloroethelyne (PERC) is a widely used dry-cleaningsolvent. PERC is also found in the water of the NewYork Harbor in excess of ambient water qualitystandards. DEP has initiated its PERC Dry Cleanerprogram to address the issue. In 1998, DEP amendedits sewer use regulations to require dry cleaners toimplement a best management program to limit PERCdischarges into the sewer system. DEP is activelyinspecting over 1,500 dry cleaners throughout the cityand issuing Notices of Violations to those who continueto discharge PERC into the sewer system in violation ofregulatory limitations.

G R E A S E E N F O R C E M E N T

The illegal discharge of grease into the sewer system byrestaurants and other food related establishments is aleading cause of sewer backups within New York City(see photos). Through a reallocation of resources andby implementing program efficiencies, DEP has initiateda program to address grease discharges from the over21,000 restaurants. The Grease Response Educationand Strategic Enforcement Program approach theproblem with a combination of educational materials,including foreign language materials, which are distributedto restaurants in a target area. Owners are encouragedto conduct self audits to bring their facilities into

compliance. DEP staff then conducts inspections toensure that grease traps are properly sized andmaintained. To date, over 3,800 restaurants have beeneducated and inspected. Over 60% of the restaurantsinspected have been found to have inadequately sizedgrease traps and were ordered to upgrade theirequipment. This effort has resulted in the installation ofover 5,100 grease interceptors. After a restaurant’sequipment is brought into compliance, DEP conductsrandom, unannounced inspections, to ensure propermaintenance is being performed. Reinspections havefound a 94% compliance rate for proper maintenance.

N U T R I E N T R E M O V A L

To achieve the 58.5% nitrogen reduction goal called foras part of the Long Island Sound Study Agreement(LISS, 1997), NYCDEP is facilitating plans for nutrientremoval through adaptive management. This approachwill look first at cost-effective actions based on retrofitsand operational improvements at existing facilities.Reductions are to be phased in over a 15-year period,beginning in 1998, and call for an assessment ofcosts/benefits to be conducted every five years,pursuant to improved technologies and ecologicalconditions.

To offset the impacts of increased nitrogen loads due to biosolids dewatering operations, NYCDEPimplemented retrofit biological nutrient removal withinexisting plants at seven WPCPs (Tallman Island, HuntsPoint, Bowery Bay, Wards Island, Red Hook, OakwoodBeach, and 26th Ward). In addition, feasibility studiesand pilot tests for biological and physical-chemical

Clean 10” sewer Grease Blocked 10” sewer


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nutrient reduction were conducted to develop interimnitrogen removal programs for each WPCP. Removalsat plants have been improved through optimizing currenttreatment processes, including: increasing sludge age,seperate centrate treatment, chemical feed systems,installation of retrofit step biological nutrient removal(BNR) and diffuser retrofits, as well as shifting of sludgeloads.

Compliance with nutrient removal targets includes useof a 12-month rolling average and maximum monthlylevels for dry weather nitrogen loadings to the UpperEast River and Jamaica Bay. Throughout 2001, the fourUpper East River WPCPs (Wards Island, Hunts Point,Bowery Bay and Tallman Island) achieved compliancewith the aggregate nitrogen discharge limits specified inSPDES permits. Total nitrogen discharges from thesefacilities have dropped by over 30,000 lbs/day since1993 through separate centrate treatment at the BoweryBay, Wards Island, and Hunts Point facilities, and theimplementation of BNR retrofit technologies. Theseretrofits have included the installation of membranediffusers, anoxic zone mixers, aeration tank baffles, and froth control systems. Upper East River dry weather discharges from these four WPCPs averaged66,379 lbs/day in 2001.

Throughout 2001, the four Jamaica Bay WPCPs (26thWard, Coney Island, Jamaica Bay and Rockaway) metthe 12-month rolling average discharge limit of 45,300lbs/day. The average dry weather nitrogen dischargedfrom these plants decreased through implementation ofseparate centrate treatment and BNR retrofits at the26th Ward WPCP, as well as the shifting of nitrogenloads. Beginning in October 1999, Owls Head sludgewas no longer treated at the 26th Ward facility, but re-directed to several other dewatering facilities, includingWards Island, Hunts Point, and Oakwood Beach viaPort Richmond. In addition, sludge from the JamaicaWPCP began to be transported to the 26th Ward WPCPfor dewatering, to more fully take advantage of centratetreatment capabilities at that location. Dry weatherloadings from these four Jamaica Bay WPCPs averaged 36,428 lbs/day in 2001.

B I O S O L I D S P R O G R A M

As mandated by the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988,June 30, 1992 marked the last day of biosolids disposalat the 106-Mile Dumpsite in the Atlantic Ocean. As analternative to open water disposal, NYCDEP’s BeneficialReuse Program transformed biosolids into products foruse in soil remediation/restoration and as fertilizer forcrop enrichment. Going beyond heat treatment anddirect land application employed during an interimprogram, NYCDEP has contracted with a compostingcompany and a lime stabilization company, as part of itsLong Term Biosolids Management Plan. This program,which has reduced its original costs by almost 50%, wonseveral awards in 1999 and 2000 including: the EPANational First Place Award for Outstanding EffortsToward Gaining Public Acceptance for the BeneficialUse of Biosolids; and the New York Water EnvironmentAssociation Biosolids Award, in recognition of outstandingefforts toward beneficial use of biosolids. In June of 2001,the DEP improved efficiency and reduced cost byreducing the number of contractors from 5 to 4.

NYCDEP’s efforts have been endorsed by the CitizensAdvisory Committee for Pollution Prevention and DEPhas conducted some small demonstration projectsthroughout the five boroughs.

As a result, the Department has received numeroustestimonials from satisfied recipients of the City’sbiosolids compost. For example, Former Department ofParks and Recreation Commissioner Stern wrote,“Parks has used DEP biosolids and has been pleasedwith the results,” and the “Parks would like to continueusing the composted biosolids as fertilizer in upcomingprojects, including ballfields and large hill slope forestrestorations.” The Department of Transportation,Deputy Commissioner Heyward wrote, “We are strongbelievers in biosolids compost. We have found thatincorporating DEP compost into existing soil on highwaylandscapes has caused the grass to grow much morethickly and remain greener throughout the summer.”DEP intends to expand the City’s use of Biosolids in thenext few years.

2001SPECIAL WATER QUALITY STUDIES

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The NYCDEP has been monitoring the water quality in New York Harbor for over 90 years and periodicallyissuing data reports & analysis of DEP collected data.This year in an effort to expand the scope of the HarborSurvey report, the NYCDEP solicited the authors ofrelevant special studies or programs conducted in the Harbor during 2001. These projects were eitherconducted by NYCDEP or its contractors or by EPA,IEC or NYSDEC.

The following authors contributed their time and effort to these narratives and the NYCDEP would like to recognize these efforts. The authors contactinformation has been provided below, but anyquestions about this report should be directed to Mr.Beau Ranheim at 212-860-9378 [email protected].

Mr. William E. McMillin Jr., P.E. a Senior ProjectManager at Hydroqual, Inc. contributed the UrbanWatershed Program narrative. Mr. McMillin can bereached at [email protected] if there areadditional questions.

Mr. Peter Young, P.E. of Hazen and Sawyer, PC contributed the Shellbank Destratification narrative. Mr. Young can be reached at

[email protected].

The VOC Sampling narrative was provided by Mr. Bob Nyman and Ms. Cathy Yuhas of the USEPA Region II New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. Mr. Nyman can be reached [email protected].

The Summary of IEC Programs was provided by Mr. Peter Sattler, Principal Environmental Planner at the Interstate Environmental Commission. Mr. Sattlercan be reached at [email protected].

The PCB narrative was provided by Dr. Simon Litten, a Research Scientist with the NY State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation. Dr. Litten can be reachedat [email protected].

The Gowanus Fish Community narrative was providedby Dr. Peter Woodhead of the SUNY Stony BrookMarine Sciences Center. Dr. Woodhead can bereached at [email protected].

The Enterococcus and Volunteer Beach Surveynarratives were written by Mr. Beau Ranheim, Dr. Egbert Lord and Mr. John Sexton of the NYCDEPMarine Sciences Section. They can be reached at 212-860-9378.


S P E C I A L W A T E R Q U A L I T Y S T U D I E S


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The Urban Watershed Program is being conducted by the New York City Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) for waterbodies throughout New YorkHarbor to address compliance with water qualitystandards and designated uses. The goals of the Urban Watershed Program are to:

Define, through a public process, more specific andcomprehensive long-term beneficial use goals foreach waterbody, including habitat, recreational,wetland and riparian uses, in addition to waterquality goals, thus maximizing the overallenvironmental benefit;

Develop technical, economic, public and regulatorysupport for prioritizing and expediting implementationof projects and actions needed to attain the definedgoals; and

Provide the technical, scientific and economicbases to support the regulatory process needed to define water quality standards for the highestreasonably attainable use, to allow water qualitystandards to be attained upon implementation of recommended projects, and to fulfill thefishable/swimmable goals of the Clean Water Act for New York City waters.

Waterbody/Watershed assessments are beingconducted for 23 waterbodies throughout New YorkHarbor. The waterbodies include major open waterareas of New York Harbor and selected urbantributaries. The Urban Watershed Program started onAugust 5, 1999. The following is a brief description ofUrban Watershed Program activities during the year2001.

W A T E R B O D Y /W A T E R S H E DA S S E S S M E N T S

The Urban Watershed Program is conducting focusedwaterbody/watershed assessments on each of the 23waterbodies that are organized into four groups. Thesegroups include waterbodies in Jamaica Bay, the EastRiver, the Kills and the open waters of NY Harbor. Thewaterbody/watershed assessments include variousactivities including existing data and informationgathering/compilation, watershed/waterbody fieldinvestigations and data collection, public outreach in theform of stakeholder teams, land use and shorelinecharacterizations, data management, watershed andreceiving water mathematical modeling, ecosystem(habitat) evaluations, waterbody use evaluations,problem identification and prioritization, engineeringanalysis, and waterbody/watershed planning.

W A T E R B O D Y /W A T E R S H E DS T A K E H O L D E R T E A M S

Local Waterbody/Watershed Stakeholder Teams arebeing formed for each waterbody being assessed by the Urban Watershed Program as an integral part of theassessment process, as well as an important componentof the project’s public outreach program. The compositionof the stakeholder teams includes community leaders,local residents, and waterbody users. The teams areproviding information on waterbody and watersheduses, water quality issues, and long-term intentions anddesires for the waterbody. Teams have been formed forthe Bronx River and Paerdegat Basin and severalmeetings were held in 2001.

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F I E L D I N V E S T I G A T I O N S

Biological field sampling and analysis programs werecompleted in 2001 for investigating the Bronx River,Paerdegat Basin, the Group 2 (Jamaica Bay) and Group3 (East River) waterbodies, harbor-wide ichthyoplankton,and harbor-wide epibenthic recruitment and survival.Procedures characterized subtidal benthos, epibenthicrecruitment and survival, fish abundance and diversity,ichthyoplankton, pathogens and water column toxicity.Benthos samples were collected to determine theinvertebrate community composition, species richnessand diversity, as well as bottom sediment composition[grain size distribution and total organic carbon]. Fish aremotile organisms that can choose which habitats theyenter and utilize, and their presence or absence can beused to evaluate water quality. Relative abundances offish populations were sampled using an otter trawl, gillnet and crab/killi pots. Ichthyoplankton samples werecollected to characterize the ichthyoplankton communityand to determine what species, if any, spawn in NewYork Harbor waterbodies. Samples were collected usingfine-mesh plankton nets. Surface water samples werealso collected and tested for pathogens (total and fecalcoliform bacteria and Enterococci) to evaluatecompliance with recreation water quality standards.Acute water column toxicity was also evaluated forsurface water samples. Shoreline investigations wereconducted for many of the project waterbodies.

W A T E R B O D Y /W A T E R S H E DM A T H E M A T I C A L M O D E L I N G

An important component of the Urban WatershedProgram is assessing existing conditions in waterbodies,as well as projecting the long-term benefits of DEP’s various water quality improvement projects.Mathematical modeling consists of both watershedmodeling and receiving water modeling. Watershedmodeling is being performed for New York City andsurrounding areas to simulate wet weather pollutantloadings to New York Harbor waters. The UrbanWatershed Program is currently updating, upgrading,and utilizing DEP’s receiving water models representingall waters of New York Harbor and its tributaries. Model simulations are being compared to current and developing water quality criteria and standards.

E C O S Y S T E M E V A L U A T I O N S

Data collected during field investigations are being used to comprehensively analyze existing ecologicalconditions of Urban Watershed Program waterbodies.Comparisons are being made between waterbodies ofsimilar and differing water quality and habitat conditionsboth within and outside New York Harbor. Informationdeveloped by mathematical modeling is also being usedto assess existing benthic and water quality biologicalconditions and to assess future potential conditions withanticipated water quality improvements of facility plansand other pollution abatement programs. Evaluations ofexisting and potential dissolved oxygen conditions arebeing conducted for larval growth, larval survival, andjuvenile growth of aquatic species for dissolved oxygenconditions. Evaluations were completed for PaerdegatBasin during this reporting period and are now focusedon the Bronx River and Jamaica Bay waters.

E N G I N E E R I N G A N A L Y S I S

Engineering analyses are being conducted to identifycontrol alternatives that would be implemented inaddition to WPCP and combined sewer overflow (CSO)facility plans such that water quality goals are met.Costs, constructability, implementation schedule,environmental impact, and other associated issues arebeing developed with conceptual planning of thesealternatives. Evaluations of engineering alternativeswere conducted in 2001 to support waterbody/watershed planning for Paerdegat Basin and the Bronx River.

S U M M A R Y

The Urban Watershed Program is a continuing effort that will be delivering interim reports as necessary. A website is being developed to allow project updatesand results to be posted as quickly as possible.


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S T R A T I F I C A T I O N : H O W D O E S I TA F F E C T T H E W A T E R Q U A L I T Y O FS H E L L B A N K B A S I N ?

Shellbank Basin is a long narrow basin with varieddepth. The basin is very deep at the northern head end(50 ft.), while the southern end of the basin, where itmeets Jamaica Bay, is relatively shallow (10 ft.). Thisvariance in depth hinders the natural tidal mixing withJamaica Bay. Without this natural mix of water, layers ofwater with varied temperatures form in the basin. Thewarmer water stays in the top layer of the basin andcooler water is trapped at the bottom. This separation ofthe basin’s water into warm and cool layers is known as“stratification”.

Stratification of the basin results in poor mixing andeventually the water in the bottom layers becomesdevoid of oxygen (“anoxic”). The warmer weatherconditions of summer cause the basin to “turn over”,bringing anoxic water to the surface. During this period,marine life is affected, leading to fish kills and deadcrabs in the basin. Also, the basin becomes veryodorous due to the release of hydrogen sulfide, whichhas a characteristic “rotten egg” smell.

H O W I T W O R K S

The destratification system consists of a shorelineelectric-powered compressor station, feeding 3 diffused-air lines running along the bottom of the basin. Thestation is currently located at the privately ownedCaptain Mike’s Marina, at 159th Avenue and Cross BayBoulevard on the west shoreline of Shellbank Basin.Compressed air is delivered through the diffuser lines

along the basin bottom. Air bubbles released from thediffuser lines vertically mix the water column to preventstratification from occurring. The compressed airdistribution system is designed to effectively transportbottom water to the upper layer. The diffuser lines aremade of high-density polyethylene tubing. Two parallellines run north from the compressor station and a singleline runs south from the compressor station.

T H E S P E C I F I C S

The compressor equipment is housed within a pre-engineered fiberglass building. The pre-engineeredfiberglass building is constructed of double wallconstruction with a foam core for noise minimization. The pre-engineered building also has automatic louversand intake fans, which supply air for the compressor. Toreduce the noise levels emanating from the compressorbuilding, soundproofing material was installed in thebuilding.

The diffuser lines are made of one inch high-densitypolyethylene tubing typically used for lawn irrigationpurposes. The dual diffuser line is positioned in alongitudinal pattern running to the head end of the basin, the single line runs mid-basin, with a total lengthof 1250 feet of tubing.

The diffuser lines are anchored to the bottom withconcrete blocks, and suspended approximately 6”above the basin bottom. The diffuser system isequipped with a buoyancy system and does not requirethe use of divers for deployment or routine maintenance.The land based 15 HP compressor occupies an areaapproximately 200 ft2 (20 ft. x 10 ft.), and requires 230 Velectric service.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is currently testing a technology designed toaddress the poor water quality that has historically existed in Shellbank Basin. Shellbank Basin, one of thetributaries to Jamaica Bay, is located in the Howard Beach community in Queens. The technology beingtested, known as destratification, has been used effectively in lakes and reservoirs to vertically mix thesewaterbodies and prevent undesirable water quality conditions from occurring. A full-scale demonstration testhas been in operation for two summer seasons (from May to September of 2000 and 2001) and has producedpositive water quality results.

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D A T A S A M P L I N G

The head end portion of Shellbank Basin was dividedinto 30 sampling stations. Water quality parameterswere collected at each station. Data samples weregathered at 2-week intervals, for 2 consecutive summerseasons in 2000 and 2001. Dissolved oxygenconcentrations, salinity, and temperature weremeasured at increasing depths at each station.

R E S U L T S A N D C O N C L U S I O N S O FT H E S T U D Y

Stratification was evident at the start of the two summerseasons before the demonstration facility was put intoservice, and was characterized by a ten-degree Celsiustemperature difference as shown in (see figure 1). If the system were not utilized, a ten to fifteen degreedifference would have most likely occurred throughoutthe summer. After the system was placed into service,temperature data collected had shown that enoughwater circulation was achieved by use of the diffused-airde-stratification system to totally eliminate the stratifiedlayers. This was apparent by the average temperaturegradient of less than 1° Celsius (see figure 2) in the

water column, for all of the stations. A similar constanttemperature gradient trend continued throughout thecourse of this study, the data for the remaining samplingevents showing a nearly uniform temperature through-out the entire vertical water column of the basin.

The 2-year pilot operation has indicated that ShellbankBasin can indeed be successfully destratified through adiffused air system and this has resulted in an immediatepositive change in the water quality. No odor complaintswere received by the DEP from the residents living on or near Shellbank Basin during the period of operation,because stratification was not able to occur with thedemonstration facility operating.

It has been recommended to install a permanent facilityto continue to destratify Shellbank Basin. Possiblelocations are being evaluated and a site selectionprocess is underway.

Community ConcernsThe project was designed so as not to affect therecreational use of Shellbank Basin. The compressor is housed in a pre-engineered double-wall fiberglassbuilding with additional soundproofing treatment tominimize noise levels.

figure 1 figure 2


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This article was provided by Bob Nyman and CathyYuhas of the New York- New Jersey Harbor EstuaryProgram Office (HEP). HEP is one of 28 NationalEstuary Programs sponsored by the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency, and is focused on the protection andrestoration of the harbor. Participants include membersof federal, state and local government agencies,nonprofit organizations, academicians, and others.Additional information about the program is availablefrom the website www.harborestuary.org.

During the routine New York City (NYC) Harbor Surveyin 1992, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) weredetected in some of the Harbor waters. The reportedvalues from this survey for one of the VOCs,tetrachloroethylene (PERC), were above the New YorkState (NYS) guidance values in more than half of thewaters in the Harbor. Since that time, the City of NewYork has undertaken a program to reduce discharge ofPERC from one of the main sources, drycleaningoperations.

In 1999, the New York - New Jersey Harbor EstuaryProgram (HEP) Toxics Work Group (TWG) began areevaluation of the Chemicals of Concern on its list from the HEP Comprehensive Conservation andManagement Plan (CCMP) that was developed in 1996.Some chemicals were removed from the list becausemore recent data showed that they were no longer a

problem. However, the group found that there was littlerecent data to evaluate whether PERC, or other VOCswere still of concern in the Harbor. As a result, the TWGrecommended that a screening be undertaken for VOCsin Harbor ambient waters.

In February 2000 and again in February 2001, the HEP TWG coordinated a VOC assessment ofambient waters by various groups including: USEnvironmental Protection Agency, Passaic ValleySewerage Commissioners (PVSC), NYC Department ofEnvironmental Protection (NYCDEP), NYS Departmentof Environmental Conservation, and NJ Department ofEnvironmental Protection. NYCDEP collected the bulkof the samples as part of their ongoing Harbor Survey,while PVSC collected samples from the Passaic andHackensack Rivers and Newark Bay. Samples weretransferred to the USEPA laboratory in Edison, NJ foranalysis.

R E S U L T S

The VOC analysis was based on USEPA Drinking WaterMethod 524.2 and included approximately 60 VOCs.

February 2000 SamplingMost of the VOCs were reported as “not detected” to alevel of 1 µg/L. Those VOCs reported above thedetection limit of 1 µg/L included methyl tert-butyl ether(MTBE), 2-butanone, 2-chlorotoluene, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene. All the levels were below theguidance values or standards (one of the MTBE results

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38

exceeded the guidance value or standard for freshwater,but because the samples were in marine waters, thevalues are not applicable). Acetone was detected innearly every sample; however, it was also detected inthe field blank samples that were collected for the surveyindicating the results are likely due to contamination. Inaddition, samples that were collected from nine stationsin the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers may have beencompromised due to improper storage. Those resultsshould be considered as biased low.

February 2001 SamplingMost of the VOCs were reported as “not detected” to a level of 1 µg/L. Those VOCs reported above the detection limit of 1 µg/L included methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), 2-butanone, 2-hexanone, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, acrylonitrile, and chloroform. All butone of the levels were below the guidance values orstandard. The results for acetonitrile exceeded theguidance value or standard; however, acetonitrile wasalso detected in the some of the field blank samples that were collected for the survey indicating the resultsare likely due to contamination. Acetone was again,detected in nearly every sample; however, it was alsodetected in the field blank samples that were collectedfor the survey indicating the results are likely due tocontamination.

D I S C U S S I O N /C O N C L U S I O N S

The PERC levels found in 1992 are not apparent in the2000 and 2001 sampling events. This decrease inPERC in the Harbor could be related to the regulationsthat were imposed upon dry cleaners. Dry cleanershave decreased their waste from 2,000 gallons/year/cleaner to 200 gallons/year/cleaner and waste disposalis no longer allowed to be placed in the municipal sewersystem. They have also stopped doing the cleaning attheir own facilities. Dry-cleaning equipment has beenupgraded due to regulations. In 1992, VOC levels werefound above guidance values and standards, and in2000 and 2001 levels were not above the guidancevalues and standards although some of the contami-nants were detected in the 2000 and 2001 samplingevents.

The change in VOC levels in the Harbor from 1992 to2001 indicates that the dry-cleaning regulations had apositive impact on water quality in the Harbor. The HEPTWG has recommended that VOCs be removed fromthe HEP list of Chemicals of Concern.

Chemical Highest Value (µg/L) Guidance Value/Standard (µg/L)Feb 2000 Feb 2001

Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) 10.7 2.3 10 for fresh water in NY, but not applicable tomarine waters. No value for marine waters or NJ.

2-Butanone 1.35 2.0 No value for NY or NJ.

2-Chlorotoluene 3.35 NA 5 for fresh water in NY, no value for marine watersor NJ.

2-Hexanone NA 2.0 No value for NJ. NY does not have standards thatare applicable to the Harbor for this substance.

1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1.01 1.4 5 for aquatic life chronic marine value in NY and 50for aesthetic in SD waters in NY (total of 1,2; 1,3;and 1,4- dichlorobenzene). NJ value for humanhealth based on fish consumption is 16,500.

Acrylonitrile NA 2.0 0.665 in NJ. NY does not have standards that areapplicable to the Harbor for this substance.

Chloroform NA 1.6 470 in NJ. NY does not have standards that areapplicable to the Harbor for this substance.

T A B L E 1 V O L A T I L E O R G A N I C C O M P O U N D S D E T E C T E D I N T H E

F E B R U A R Y 2000 A N D 2001 S A M P L I N G E V E N T S


39

The Tri-State Compact establishing the InterstateSanitation Commission (now Interstate EnvironmentalCommission- IEC) was enacted in 1936. TheCommission initially consisted of the States of New Yorkand New Jersey; the State of Connecticut joined theCommission in 1941. As its structure suggests, theCommission has an overall responsibility of protectingthe environment by viewing the District from a regional,impartial and unbiased perspective. Whereas, eachstate deals with issues within its own political borders,the Commission can and does cross state lines.

The Commission’s ambient water quality monitoringprograms are comprised of intensive surveys conductedover an extended period of time on a particularwaterway for specific reasons, i.e., to study sanitarycondition of shellfish beds, to document hypoxia, or todetermine bathing beach water quality. The surveysconducted during the calendar year 2001 aresummarized below.

Great Kills Park, part of the Gateway NationalRecreation Area, is located on the eastern shore of Staten Island, New York, on Raritan Bay. The 1,455-acre park is maintained under the auspices of the National Park Service (NPS). In late August 1998,the NPS measured high levels of coliform bacteria andsubsequently closed the bathing beach for a total of 12 days. A sampling network of 12 stations was jointlyestablished with NYCDEC and DEP in order to monitor

this condition. The samples were analyzed for fecal andtotal coliforms, fecal streptococcus and enterococcus.Additional samples were collected in Fox Creek, atributary of Raritan Bay. Although high values of coliform bacteria were detected, a source could not bedetermined. This plan will continue in 2002 to determinethe source of bacterial contamination.

To address an ongoing need to document the hypoxicconditions in Long Island Sound, the IEC participatedin a cooperative sampling effort, with NYCDEP andCTDEP, during the summer season. The informationwill be used to measure the effectiveness ofmanagement activities and programs implementedunder the Comprehensive Conservation andManagement Plan. A cruise plan consisting of 21 stations is conducted weekly from July through mid-September. In-situ measurements are made fordissolved oxygen, temperature and salinity at 3 depths(1 meter below the surface, mid-depth and 1 meterabove the bottom) when the water column is less than15 meters and 5 equidistant depths when greater than15 meters. Every other week samples are collected forchlorophyll ‘a’. At 3 stations located in Little Neck Bay,Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor, additionalsurface samples are collected for phytoplanktonidentification. In addition, during one cruise, additionalsamples are collected at a subset of stations to detectthe presence of pfiesteria.

IEC 2001 W A T E R Q U A L I T Y

M O N I T O R I N G A C T I V I T I E S


40

Ambient water quality monitoring for pathogens in theNew York-New Jersey Harbor Complex was conductedat the request of the US Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA), Region 2, under the auspices of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program(HEP), to collect fecal coliform, total coliform andenterococcus data. The scope of work was determinedby the HEP’s Pathogens Work Group which iscomprised of IEC, NYSDEC, NJ DEP, NYCDEP, USArmy Corps of Engineers, and EPA. The results weresupplied to contract modelers for refinement of a waterquality model for pathogens based on the New York CityCombined Sewer Overflow (CSO) model and System-wide Eutrophication model. The sampling networkconsisted of 42 stations throughout the New York-NewJersey Harbor Complex. The Complex has beendivided into four areas of concern: East River, HudsonRiver and Upper New York Harbor, Arthur Kill/Kill VanKull and tributaries (Elizabeth River, Rahway River andRaritan River), and Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays. Thestation locations were supplied to the Commission byNYCDEP and NJ DEP’s Bureau of Marine WaterClassification and Analysis (BMWCA). The samplingstations are those recommended by the HEP modelingcontractor. There is an historic data base at theseestablished stations and, to better represent theinterstate characteristics of the waterways, a subset ofthe NYCDEP Harbor Survey stations on the HudsonRiver from Yonkers south to the Battery were moved tomid-river.

Samples for fecal and total coliforms, fecalstreptococcus and enterococcus were taken at allstations. In addition, temperature and salinitymeasurements were made in-situ. IEC contracted twoboats to conduct simultaneous sampling two (2) daysper week; IEC field personnel conducted all samplecollection and performed all in-situ measurementsaboard the contract vessels. A sampling regime of two(2) survey runs per week per boat in each area ofconcern was planned over a five (5) week period. Thatis, over the course of ten (10) weeks, all four (4)sampling areas would yield ten (10) data sets perstation. The events of September 11th, as well as othercommitments resulted in the data not being collectedover ten consecutive weeks, but sampled ten times overa 17-week period (August through November).

The New Jersey Department of EnvironmentalProtection, Bureau of Marine Water Classification andAnalysis (BMWCA), regularly conducts ambient waterquality monitoring of the State’s 750,000 acres ofshellfish harvesting beds. The BMWCA requested theIEC assist in sample collection in the New Jerseywaters of western Raritan Bay. The surveys weretriggered by storm events with an intensity of at least 0.2 inch of rain. A window of 48 hours subsequent to the rain gave ample time to document the effects of therunoff. All samples were collected from surface watersat 18 sampling stations. All samples were transportedto the US EPA’s Edison, NJ, laboratory for analysis offecal and total coliform bacteria. From November 16,2000 until mid-April 2001, four survey runs werecompleted.


41

A Q U I C K B A C K G R O U N D R E V I E W

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are well known aspossibly cancer-causing industrial chemicals. They hadbeen manufactured in the United States from 1929 until1977 and used as insulators in electrical equipment, asheat exchangers, sealants, hydraulic fluids, and asmicrocapsules for carbonless copy paper. Theiroccurrence in wildlife, human breast milk, and theirinvolvement in two mass poisoning episodes led tobanning and removal. Today government scientists arestill finding these long-lived chemicals in fish tissue,sediments, soils, and water. Currently, the USEPA isstudying removal of PCB contaminated sediments in theupper Hudson and others are finding PCBs in andaround New York Harbor.

What is less well known is that PCBs may also beformed inadvertently as the result of making variouschemicals. At the time that PCBs were banned, theChemical Manufacturers Association alerted EPA to thispossibility and rules were written to take theseinadvertent PCBs into account. In 1984, when the ruleswere published, the analytical methods for detecting andmeasuring PCBs were not as good as they are today.Also, the rules made assumptions about the toxicity andenvironmental distribution of inadvertent PCBs that NewYork State DEC does not share in 2002.

C O N T A M I N A N T A S S E S S M E N T A N DR E D U C T I O N P R O J E C T (CARP)

In 1998, the NYSDEC, NYCDEP, EPA, and othersbegan an extensive monitoring project undertaken togain a better understanding of toxic chemicals, includingPCBs, in New York Harbor. The Port Authority of NY/NJfaced the problem of increasingly stringent regulationsmaking the disposal of harbor dredge material extremelyexpensive. The Clean Water Act had also identifiedNew York Harbor as an estuary requiring a thoroughenvironmental assessment and a management plan.The coincidence of the management plan and the clear-cut economic imperative lead to the creation of theContaminant Assessment and Reduction Project(CARP). CARP called for extensive monitoring of

chemicals from sewage treatment plants, landfills, major and minor tributaries, and ambient waters. It alsoincluded monitoring sediments throughout the harborand biota (birds, fish, shellfish, and benthos).

PCBs were sold in the United States under thetrademark “Aroclor”. These aroclors are composed of mixtures of PCB congeners that have propertiesappropriate for various applications. Some congenersare abundant and others are rare. Some were notexpected to occur at all in commercial Aroclors.

During the early discussions about possible laboratorymethods, we learned that a new technique had beendeveloped that would allow all the PCB congeners to bemeasured. The new analytical methods used for CARPsamples would be able to detect all 209 congeners,even those not anticipated in local waters.

DISCOVERY OF A NEW KIND OF PCB

As results of the monitoring were reported some of thepatterns of congener abundance conformed very closelyto our expectations. For example, PCBs in the upperHudson looked like they had originated from thematerials used in the manufacture of capacitors.Samples from the harbor area showed evidence ofheavier PCBs that might be expected from PCBs usedin transformers. However, a few samples, particularlyfrom three (later four) sewage treatment plants, showedan unexpected pattern. In these, a single congeneraccounted for as much as 90% of the total PCB. Even more surprisingly, this congener, called 3,3’-dichlorobiphenyl or “BZ 11” for short, was not expectedto occur at all in commercial Aroclor mixtures. And notonly was this congener relatively more abundant thanexpected, it also was responsible for the highest PCBconcentrations of the sewage treatment plantdischarges.

After a review of the literature we learned that BZ 11 was associated with the pigment industry, particularlywith pigments made from the intermediate 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine. In discussions with the NYCDEP, we learned that the treatment plant with the highestconcentrations of BZ 11 experienced colored influents

A N E W K I N D O F PCB


42

and that there was a pigment factory in the service area.We interviewed the plant manager of the pigmentfactory who told us that the pigment industry had beenaware of inadvertent synthesis of BZ 11 in connection withproduction of an orange-yellow pigment called diarylideyellow. Numerous manufacturers both in the UnitedStates and elsewhere make this color that is used inplastics and is routinely seen as the yellow line painteddown the middle of roads.

Further sleuthing revealed explanations for the two otherNew York State sewage treatment plants with highproportions of BZ 11. One plant dewatered sludgesfrom the plant directly connected to the pigment factoryand the other plant received wastewaters from asecond pigment manufacturer. An efficient way to findpotential BZ 11 sources is to query the EPA ToxicRelease Inventory (TRI) web site for facilities using 3,3’-dirchlorobenzidine http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/

tris/tris_query.html, search for 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine asCAS # 000091941). Once alerted to the importance ofBZ 11, we started discovering that this supposedly non-existent chemical was in fact very wide-spread. It is thesingle most abundant PCB congener in Lake Ontario.An internet search showed that a manufacturer outsideof Toronto, Ontario would be happy to sell diarylideyellow. An observation of BZ 11 comprising 20% of thetotal PCB in Long Island Sound waters may have itsorigin in a Connecticut 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine user. Andabundant BZ 11 in a New Jersey wastewater treatmentplant could be explained by the presence in its servicearea of two separate pigment making facilities reporting3,3-dichlorobenzidine. However, we have also seen BZ11 comprising about 23% of total PCBs in samples fromthe New York Bight collected 75 miles southeast of theharbor. The origin of this material is yet to beunderstood but might be that the congener is volatileand would be relatively easily transported by air.

New York State ambient water quality standardsregulate PCBs as total PCBs and disregards congenerdistribution. The ambient water quality standard for theprotection against cancer in humans eating fish is 1picogram/L (part per quadrillion). The concentration ofBZ 11 alone exceeded the total PCB WQS in 96% ofour ambient water samples. While few samples havebeen analyzed for BZ 11 in biota, those that have showvery little. This congener would not be expected to bestrongly held by fatty tissue. Sediment concentrations ofBZ 11 are also not as abundant as those in water.

D I O X I N -L I K E PCB S

While NYS WQS look only at total PCBs, somescientists believe that a few PCB congeners exert adioxin-like toxicity. These “toxic” or “co-planar” PCBcongeners are not included in the NYS definition ofdioxin but are included in new EPA criterion for dioxin inwastewater treatment plant sludges. The waste watersfrom the NYC pigment manufacturer was rich in “co-planar” PCBs, particularly 3,3’,4,4’-tetrachlorobiphenyl orBZ 77 and 3,3’,4,4’,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (BZ 126).The sludges from the sewage treatment plant receivingthe pigment waste also had significant concentrations ofthese two congeners. On the other hand, the NewJersey sewage treatment plant receiving dischargesfrom two pigment manufacturers was not found to havemuch of the co-planars. The chemistry behind theoccurrence of the co-planars is still unknown butNYSDEC is currently having several pigments andtechnical grade 3,3’-dichlorobenzidine analyzed to see iflight could be shed on the origins of the potentiallydangerous co-planars.

The NYC pigment manufacturer has announced itsintentions to move the diarylide yellow operation toDenmark and is tightening up operation in NYC toreduce wastage. The degree to which these changeswill affect the co-planar generation is not yet known butwe expect that it will greatly reduce emissions of BZ 11.

Editors Note: In December 2001, the Sun ChemicalCorporation, in Staten Island, New York, voluntarily entered into a Consent Order with the NYCDEP. The company agreed to cease the production of all pigments thatutilize 3,3’Dichlorobenzidine in the manufacturing process byApril 1, 2002. Additionally, the company will be conducting afacility wide cleanup, with follow up testing, to remove anyresidue from that manufacturing process.

The author looks for inadvertent PCBs in NYC sewers


43

In 2001, a series of boat surveys was made of the biotainhabiting Gowanus Bay and the Gowanus Canal, bythe Marine Sciences Research Center (MSRC) of StonyBrook University. The purpose of the surveys was todescribe the biota currently inhabiting the Gowanussystem and to measure related environmentalconditions. A particular focus of the surveys was toidentify the fish populations present and assess theirabundance, by trawling and by hydroacoustic surveys.Results from boat surveys made during summer andfall, are summarized here as a short report.

G O W A N U S F I S H C O M M U N I T Y

Fish were sampled with a ground otter trawl, 8 m wide,lightly rigged. During the surveys, about 30 species offinfish were caught in Gowanus Bay. However, mostspecies were represented in trawl samples by only a few individuals. A smaller number of fish species werecommon or abundant in catches. The abundant speciescomprised striped bass, weakfish, scup, bay anchovy,alewife, and American shad. All abundant species werepresent only as juvenile life-stages, except for theubiquitous bay anchovy. Those fish were all small,young-of-the-year, their total lengths ranged from about5 to17 cm. The Gowanus Bay appeared to be a nurseryhabitat for juvenile stages of common finfish speciesimportant to the community of the Harbor-estuary.

During the survey series, there was notable change inthe composition of the fish community in Gowanus Bay.In initial summer surveys, dominant fishes caught werejuveniles of striped bass, weakfish, and scup, with bayanchovies. In November surveys, these species had alldecreased in numbers in trawl samples, catches werethen dominated by small, young-of-the-year riverherrings, alewife and American shad.

Important predators feeding on the young fish in the Bayduring summer were large fluke about 20 to 40 cm long,and adult blueclaw crabs. The fluke had left Gowanusby November, although blueclaw crabs were stillcommonly caught.

The fishing surveys expressed the abundance of fish asthe numbers caught in a standard trawl haul, during a 6min. tow on the seabed (termed, ‘catch per unit of fishingeffort’, - cpue). Highest community abundance occurredin summer. Fish were especially abundant in GowanusBay, with a standard catch average of 2852 fish. Trawlsampling at comparator sites in Red Hook Channel insummer, the average cpue was 283 fish, only 10% ofthe Bay catch. During the survey series through the fall,catch numbers in Gowanus Bay and in the Channel fellmarkedly to only about 5% to 10% of the summerabundances. On all surveys, the numbers of individualscaught were always greater in Gowanus Bay than at thecomparator sites in the Channel; during fall the meancpue in the Bay was about 3x to 6x more abundant.Equally, on each fishing survey the number of fishspecies caught was greater in Gowanus Bay than at thesites in Red Hook Channel.

By late November the mean cpue in Gowanus Bay hadfallen to 139 fish and in Red Hook Channel the meanwas only 22 fish. This decrease in abundance of thefinfish community was typical for the Harbor-estuarysystem. During the fall, many fish species emigrate tothe sea, leaving the Harbor when water temperaturesdecline. Contrary to that general trend of decrease incommunity abundance during fall, juvenile river herringsmigrating out of the upper Hudson in Novemberappeared in greater numbers in the Harbor, includingGowanus Bay.

Fish were commonly observed in the waters of theGowanus Canal during surveys, the fish were alsorecorded by an echosounder. In August andSeptember, many fish were seen singly at, or near, thewater surface, all through the Canal. In shallow reachesof the Canal schools of hundreds of small fish wereobserved swimming below the surface. The schools ofsmall fish appeared similar to those caught in the Bay,and were believed to be juvenile weakfish and/or stripedbass. Large adult blueclaw crabs were also common,swimming in the Canal. Swimming fish and crabsapparently occurred all through the Canal, they wereobserved as far as the head waters at Union St. bridge.

S U R V E Y S O F T H E

G O W A N U S F I S H C O M M U N I T Y


44

Most fish in the Canal were not identified directly, northeir densities determined, although echosurveys weremade through the Canal, also through Gowanus Bay.Echorecords were made of acoustic reflections from‘fish’, - which were distinguished from gas bubblereflections. The echorecordings were subsequentlyanalyzed and counted. Comparison of echosurveyrecordings for the counts of ‘fish’ records, found nodifference between the counts or densities of ‘fish’records made in Gowanus Bay and the densities inGowanus Canal.

In the Gowanus survey area, measurements were madeof standard water variables: a) at depth 1m above bottom,and b) at the surface, for salinity (S), temperature (T),dissolved oxygen (DO) and density. In the Canal S, T, anddensity showed little top to bottom variation. The summerwater temperatures were maximum, at 23°-24°C. Duringfall, temperatures cooled to 11°C in November. GowanusBay is 10 m deep, most water measurements had similarvalues to the Canal for both T and S. Dissolved oxygenconcentrations measured in the water column of theGowanus Canal were moderately high, about 4 to 6 mgO2/L. Bottom DO concentrations were slightly higher thanat the surface of the Canal, by about 0.5 to 1 mg O2/L.Generally higher levels of DO were measured in GowanusBay, at about 5 to 7 mg O2/L.

Black, organic-rich muds cover the bottom of the Canal,the muds are likely to be oxygen-deficient. During allCanal surveys, bubbles of gas were frequently seenbreaking the water surface. The bubbles werespontaneously released from bottom muds. Gasbubbles are strong acoustic reflectors, and ascendingbubbles were clearly marked on echo-records.Disturbance of the muds produced copious release ofgas bubbles. Methane gas is commonly produced bycatabolism in strongly-reducing, anoxic bottomsediments of the Harbor. It is likely that methane wasimportant among the gases released in the Canal.

The Gowanus flushing tunnel pumps water from theHarbor to replenish the waters of the Canal, at a rate ofabout 200 million gallons per day. Stopping, or slowingthe rate of pumping Harbor water into the Canal, wouldlikely be associated with increased depletion of oxygenfrom Canal waters, caused by the reducing conditions atthe seabed. During the course of the present surveys,the rate of pumping volumes of Harbor water throughthe flushing tunnel to the Canal is known to have varied,and included periods when the pump was stopped. It isexpected that such variations in daily volume rates of

water replenishment could result in rise or fall in overalllevels of DO in the Canal.

The DO levels measured in Gowanus Canal were notstrongly hypoxic. That seemed to indicate that theflushing tunnel system was usually working well enoughto replenish potentially stagnant waters of the Canal withoxygenated Harbor water pumped through from theButtermilk Channel.

C O N C L U S I O N S

Measurements of standard water variables, salinity,temperature, and density differed rather littlebetween Gowanus Canal, Gowanus Bay andoutside in the Upper Bay of the Harbor. AverageDO concentrations measured in the Canal wereabout 4 to 6 mg O2/L., which appeared to indicatethat Canal waters were exchanged sufficiently.

In summer 2000, the Gowanus Bay was inhabitedby abundant populations of small fish. Fishdensities in the Bay were 10 times higher than atsites outside, in Red Hook Channel. The fish in theBay were all young-of-the-year of common speciesthat are important in the Harbor-estuary. GowanusBay was functioning as a nursery area.

Above Gowanus Bay, in the Gowanus Canal,schools of similar small fish were observed, up tothe Canal headwaters. Most Canal fish were notidentified, nor their densities directly determined.Nevertheless, counts of ‘fish’ records on theechosurveys found no difference between densitiesof ‘fish’ records made in the Bay or in the Canal.

The abundance of the finfish community generallydecreased in the Harbor during fall, as watertemperatures cooled. However, river herringsemigrating from upstream increased in numbers todominate trawl samples, including Gowanus Bay.


45

The beach floatables survey, a volunteer basedprogram, finished the third year of data collection. Thisis a continuing effort to build a database of informationspecifically for the Harbor Survey on floatable debriswashing up along the shorelines of the city beaches.The voluntary program was designed to encouragecommunity participation and stewardship at the localcity recreational facilities. The aim of each survey wasto identify and quantify the floatable debris that wasbeing washed up along the shoreline of the local areas in order to provide data to evaluate a variety of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)floatable control efforts.

Each of the NYCDEP surveys was performed within a designated 200 foot length of beach at each location.Surveys were conducted at least one hour after hightide and/or after one foot of tidal recession from the

high water mark. The survey schedule was coordinatedwith local authorities so that they occurred at least 12hours (one tidal cycle) after the local cleaning and priorto the current daily beach cleaning. This procedure wasan attempt to account and categorize debris items that were deposited by the previous high tide. Thevolunteers tried to adhere to this protocol but thecleaning schedule from location to location did vary.

The 1999-2001 DEP Volunteer Survey has expandedeach year from 19 surveys at 4 beach locations in1999, to 112 surveys and 17 locations in 2001.Consequently the items counted also increased from1228 items and 3800 feet of beach in 1999, to 12,842items recorded along 22,400 feet of beach in 2001.

The survey data, from the past three years, wasclassified into one of six most representative material

2001 V O L U N T E E R B E A C H

F L O A T A B L E S S U R V E Y

S T A T E N

I S L A N D

B R O N X

MA

NH

AT

TA

N

N E W J E R S E Y

B R O O K L Y N

Q U E E N S

Coney IslandBeach

Coney IslandCreek

FortWadsworth

MidlandBeach

BrightonBeach

RockawayBeach

Little BayPark

Powell’sCove

NEW YORK CITY BEACHES FLOATABLES

(2000) SURVEY LOCATIONS


46

categories. The individual percentages of the totalmaterial counts have remained relatively consistent, as is seen in figure 2. The density of items per 1000feet varied widely by location (figure 1). After closerinspection the individual areas were broken down bylocation and the item densities for each were graphed.This chart, figure 3, displays a definite trend. Thereappears to be a decrease in the floatables densitynumber at the more active swimming beaches. It is clear that item counts at less populated or non-swimming beaches are higher. It is suspected that at these locations there may be less maintenance and consequently some multiple counting of items. These non-swimming areas were also usually within aproximity of recreational facilities such as marinas. Anyof these factors would have the ability to skew the data.

Line

ar D

ensi

ty (I

tem

/100

0Ft)

Floatables Survey 2001 Floatables Survey 2001 Regional I tem Densi tyRegional I tem Densi ty

Floatables Survey 2001 Floatables Survey 2001 Regional I tem Densi tyRegional I tem Densi ty

South Queens Bronx Staten Is. Brooklyn North Queens

Materials

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Co

mp

osi

tion

as %

of

To

tal

Material Prof i les Data (1990 - 2001)Mater ia l Prof i les Data (1990 - 2001)Mater ia l Prof i les Data (1990 - 2001)Mater ia l Prof i les Data (1990 - 2001)

Materials

Rubber

AVG

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Wood Styrofoam Metal Paper Plastic

Material Prof i les Data (1990 - 2001)

HQ 1990

DEP 1999

DEP 2000

DEP2001

Item

/100

0Ft

Floatables Survey 2 I tem Densi tyFloatables Survey 2 I tem Densi tyFloatables Survey 2 I tem Densi tyFloatables Survey 2 I tem Densi ty

LocationPowells Gerrit E Plumb E Gerrit W Plumb W Midland Brighton Ft. Wads Orchard B Gateway South B Little Bay Rk 135 Rk 149 Rk 131 Rk 8-9 Ocean Pky

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3


47

The NYCDEP Marine Sciences Section began a harborwide sampling program for Enterococcus bacteria in2001. This sampling program was begun to investigatethe impact of switching to the Enterococcus ambientwater bacteria standard, as mandated by the BEACHAct of 2000. This act mandates that all states adoptcriteria for the best available pathogen indicator(enterococcus) no later than 2004. NYS currentlyrecommends use of fecal or total coliform bacteria.

Enterococcus, are a group of bacteria very similar tofecal coliform. They are present in the intestinal tract ofhumans and other mammals, and are an excellentindicator for the presence of sewage waste. Samplingand analysis methodologies remain similar to that of thefecal bacteria, with the changes being a different mediaand temperature to culture the bacteria.

Currently New York State has several classifications forbacteria in saline waters. All waters within NYC with anapplicable standard are either I (2000 cells /100ml) andSB (200 cells /100ml). As previously stated in thereport during normal dry weather conditions most of thewaters in New York Harbor meet these criteria.

Switching to enterococcus as the indicator organism willrequire different criteria values. As currently written theAct has several levels of exceedances built into itdepending on the water’s proximity to areas beingutilized recreationally or commercially. For waterscommonly used for primary human contact (designatedbeaches) a single sample must not at any time exceed 104 cells/ 100ml, or during a 30 day period thegeometric mean of 5 samples must not exceed 35 cells/100ml. Waters not commonly used for primary contactmay have a value of 500 cells/100ml for a single value.

Using these values as a reference the Harbor Surveybegan a sampling program to compare fecal coliformand enterococcus levels at existing stations. Samples

were taken during each Harbor Survey cruise for bothfecal and enterococcus. The samples were incubatedand analyzed using standard methods currently usedby the NYCDEP Microbiological Laboratory.

Figure 1 shows the results of this sampling effort. Thegraph shows the yearly average for both fecal coliformand enterococcus at each of the Harbor Surveystations. All stations had average values below thecriteria value of 35. Looking at individual samples alsoprovides a promising picture. Only seven individualsamples taken during 2001 exceeded the criteria, andonly one of these was during dry weather.

There appears to be little or no correlation betweenenterococcus and fecal coliform levels as waspreviously thought by water quality experts. These data, however, seem to show that when the criteria isswitched in 2004 there will not be any increases of thenumber or duration of bacterial criteria exceedances in New York Harbor. The MSS will continue with thisinvestigation during the 2002 sampling season.

The NYCDEP Mircobiology Lab has also begun aninvestigation into the levels of enterococcus present inthe effluent of NYC’s sewage treatment plants. A pilotprogram was initiated in July of 2001 at three treatmentplants, Tallman Island, Hunts Point and Bowery Bay.Levels of enterocccus, fecal coliform in the effluentwere compared with the total residual chlorine (TRC).The chlorine is added to disinfect the effluent in order tomeet SPDES requirements.

For a comparison treated effluent was compared to the average swimming criteria, virtually all effluentsamples met the bacterial criteria for open waters.These preliminary results, however, do not indicate anapparent correlation between bacteria levels and TRC.As with the ambient waters there also does not appearto be any relationship between fecal coliform and

NYCDEP E N T E R O C O C C U S

S A M P L I N G P R O G R A M


48

more treatment plants and also will begin sampling forenterococcus in the influent of several treatment plants.Results from both the ambient water and treatmentplant sampling will be published in future reports.

enterococcus numbers. The results of this experimentare summarized in figure 2. Further investigation is needed before any firm conclusions are reached.The NYCDEP intends to expand this program to

figure 1

Fecal Col i form/Enterococcus vsFecal Col i form/Enterococcus vsTotal Residual Chlor ine (Tal lman Is land)Total Residual Chlor ine (Tal lman Is land)

Fecal Col i form/Enterococcus vsFecal Col i form/Enterococcus vsTotal Residual Chlor ine (Tal lman Is land)Total Residual Chlor ine (Tal lman Is land)

July August September October November December January

EnteroTRC* Fecal

per

100

ml

FE

CA

L/E

NT

ER

O

Month

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

*TRC data are multiplied by 10 for graphical purpose.

figure 2

2001 Harbor Water Quality Survey NYC

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Transcript of 2001 Harbor Water Quality Survey NYC