An organization in New York is working to make sure the Hudson River is safe for swimming, fishing and drinking, and it has a new tool to help with its research.

What You Need To Know

  • From New York City to the Adirondack Mountains, Riverkeeper staff members sample Hudson River water for any potential harmful bacteria

  • Riverkeeper’s staff members say the Hudson River’s water quality has improved over time  

  • Riverkeeper just began using a new boat, named Bob Boyle, to collect samples. It bears the name of the founder of Riverkeeper.

From New York City to the Adirondack Mountains, Sebastian Pillitteri, community science manager for Riverkeeper, samples Hudson River water for any potential harmful bacteria.

“Being on the boat, getting to experience the river, as well as try to understand water quality and help people make better decisions about where and why they choose to recreate, is something that I’m really happy to be doing,” Pillitteri said.

In partnership with several universities, Riverkeeper has been studying the quality of Hudson River water.  

“All good science begins with a question, and the question that we began with was 'how is the water for swimming?' And so that question is best answered by looking at fecal indicator bacteria. We use the most scientifically up to date indicator bacteria – that's enterococcus – for saline and fresh water. It's an EPA-approved indicator, and we test for that because that is the most important thing to look at in terms of acute illnesses that can happen because of contact with water,” Pillitteri said.  

Pillitteri uses a container attached to a pole to collect water samples from determined locations throughout the river, checking for enterococcus, as well as gathering other physical and chemical data.

Once the samples are processed, they go to the mobile laboratory on the boat.

“We want to understand how the water is, because there's a belief at the core of that that people are going to care and steward the things that they love, that bring them joy,” Pillitteri said.

Riverkeeper just began using a new boat to collect samples, named Bob Boyle, after the founder of Riverkeeper.

“It gives us a lot of flexibility and freedom to take the boat out and be responsive to problems as they arise. So instead of just monitoring once a month for four days, if we hear about a water quality problem, we can take the boat out, collect samples, get data, understand the problem, advocate for a solution, and we can do that much more rapidly,” said Shannon Roback, science director for Riverkeeper.

Riverkeeper’s staff members said the Hudson River’s water quality has improved over time.  

“I’m encouraging you all just to get out, enjoy the river and be a part of the movement,” Pillitteri said.

You can view Riverkeeper data collected to determine where the best spot for you to recreate on the Hudson River by visiting riverkeeper.org.