Pollution of
the Hudson River
and ItsTributaries
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service
Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control
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ERRATA SHEET
for
"REPORT ON POLLUTION OF THE HUDSON RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES"
Page LI: 1st paragraph - Insert this sentence after the second from
the last sentence:
This withdrawal was approved by the State Health Department as an emergency
source with special requirements.
Page 11: After last sentence in first paragraph, insert the following:
The City of Rensselaer has been ordered by the State Health Department not to
use Hudson River water after April 1966, An agreement has bean made with the
City of Troy to serve Rensselaer.
Page 21: Under "Status of Programs", 3rd paragraph from bottom. Add
after last sentence of paragraph the following:
Additionally, New York State recently inaugurated a new comprehensive
pollution control program which includes fiscal incentives for planning
construction and operation of sewage treatment works. The keystone of this
program is the billion dollar bond issue to be presented to the electorate
in November. Coupled with this is an enforcement program under which in
September 1965, the New York State Health Department initiated legal action
against six municipalities with a combined population of about 250,000 and
five industries discharging to this section of the Hudson River.
Page 21: Next paragraph down, next to last sentence: It presently
reads: "At present, it appears that the 1967 deadline cannot be met.", It
now should be read as follows:
At present, it appears that the 1967 deadline may not be met.
Page 97: Top of page: Change picograms to nanograms.
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CONFERENCE ON POLLUTION OF THE HUDSON
RIVEB AND ITS TRIBUTARIES
September 30, 1965
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The Hudson River and its tributfries, considered by this con-
ference, ere interstate waters within the meaning of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act.
2. Th^re is interstate pollution of those meters. This pollution
is subject to abatement under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
3. Such pollution is caused by many factors including sewage and
industrial waste discharges, oil, silt, sediment, heat, floating solids,
nutrients, sludge deposits, and combined se-,ner overflows. Sources of
pollution are in both Ne* Jersey and New York.
U. This pollution interferes with recreation, commercial fishing,
sport fishing, navigation, domestic and industrial water supplies, and
esthetic values.
£. The States of New Jersey and New York and the Interstate Sani-
tation Commission are empowered to abate* pollution and have active prog-
rams to accomplish this result. These programs include: establishment
of tfater quality requirements; enforcement actions to ab*te waste dis-
charges; development of comprehensive tfater pollution control programs;
and fiscal incentives.
6. Delays in abating pollution are caused by the lack of adequate
treatment facilities and the1 complex technical and financial problems
presented by the use of a waterway serving the largest metropolitan area
in the country.
7. Cognizance is taken of the activities of the U. S. Anqy Corps of
Engineers and the Coast Guard in ebating pollution resulting from oil,
sludge, silt and floating debris, as will as the program of the Federal
Government to abate pollution from all Federal installations.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare shall advise and
consult with other Federal Agencies in the area covered by ths conference
to see that all Federal installations install, construct and operate ade-
quate pollution control facilities which will meet the requirements of the
States and Interstate agencies concerned, as well as the Federal Government.
The States and Interstate agencies recognize that the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare is the Federal agency primarily charged
with abatement of pollution of interstate or navigable waters. They recom-
mend that the Department take the lead in coordinating the activites of all
Federal agencies concerned -fith water quality in the Hudson River and its
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tributaries so that the Federal Government mry have a unified approach
in dealing with thej States and Interstate agencies.
8. The benefits which would result from increased State water pollu-
tion control activities under such programs as the proposed $1 billion
"Pure Water" Bond Issue in New York State are acknowledged.
9. All discharge sources to the Hudson River and its tributaries,
whether public, Federal installations, or industrial, shall receive a
minimum ox secondary treatment or its equivalent, and effective, disinfec-
tion of the. effluents as required to protect water uses.
10. Industrial plants shall improve practices for the segregation
end treatment of wastes to effect the; maximum reduction of the following:
e) Acids and alkalis;
b) Oil and tarry substances;
c) Phenolic compounds and organic compounds that contribute to taste
and odor problems;
d) Nutrient materials including ammonia and nitrogenous phosphoric
compounds;
e) Suspended material;
f) Tcxic and highly colored wastes;
g) Oxygen requiring substances;
h) Heat;
i) Foam producing discharges;
j) Other wastes which detract from recreation uses, esthetic enjoy-
ment or other beneficial uses of the waters.
11. Surveillance and monitoring of the operation and maintenance of
sewage and waste treatment facilities in the conference area shall be
conducted by the States of New Jersey, New York, the Interstate Sanitation
Commission, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare at loca-
tions and frequencies to yield reliable values of waste outputs and result-
ing receiving water quality, and to show their variations.
12. The Feder?l conferee recommends the following time schedule for
the foregoing remedial program:
a) Designs for remedial facilities completed by January 1, 1967;
b) Financing arrangements completed by April 1, 1967;
c) Construction started by July 1, 1967;
d) Construction completed and plants placed into operation by
January 1, 1970;
e) Commensurate schedules should be adopted for the interception and
treatment of industrial wastes and wastes from Federal installations
f) Existing schedules calling for earlier completion dates are to
be met;
13. The magnitude of the pollution problem caused by discharges from
combined sewer overflows is recognised. The Department of Health, Education,
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and Welfare, in cooperation with the States of New Jersey, New York, and
the Interstate Sanitation Commission, will undertake a review of the
problem and. develop a. program for action for consideration by the Federal
Government, the Statts and the Interstate Sanitation Commission by December
31, 1968.
The construction of combined sewer systems in newly developed or re-
developed urban areas shall be orohibitcd, and existing combined sewers
shall be eliminated wherever feasible.
Programs shall be establishsd for surveillance of existing combined
sever systems end flow regulating structures to convey the maximum prac-
ticable amount of combined flows to and through treatment plants.
ll*. The conferees representing Nc.r Jersey, New York and the Inter-
state Sanitation Commission call attention to the feet that financing is
the key to sewage treatment plant construction. In the past, the financial
burden for construction of sewage treatment facilities has been borne by
municipalities and industry. This method of financing must be changed if
the progress visualised in this conference is to bt achieved.
1^. Regional planning is often the most logical and economical
approach towards meeting watsr pollution problems. The water pollution
control agencies of Notf Jersey, New York, and the Interstate Sanitation
Commission, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, will
encourage such regional planning activities.
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REPORT ON
POLLUTION OF
THE HUDSON RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
DIVISION OF WATER SUPPLY AND POLLUTION CONTROL
REGION II
NEW YORK, N. Y.
SEPTEMBER 1965
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"Often homeward bound commuters, crowded on the front end of
a ferry boat on a hot summer evening, apparently enjoy the light
spray of salt water carried aboard by the wind as the bow of the
boat hits the passing waves. This is surely a situation where
ignorance is bliss.11
Stream Sanitation
Sarle B. Phelps
Professor of Sanitary Science
at Columbia University
ii
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Table of Contents Page
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations 1
Introduction 3
Description of Area 5
General 5
Agency Responsibility 5
Hydrology 6
Population 8
Economics 8
Water Uses 11
Municipal Water Use 11
Institutional Water Use 12
Industrial Water Use 12
Recreation 12
Commercial Navigation 16
Fish 16
Hydro Power 19
Classification and Status of Programs 20
Classification of Waters 20
Status of Programs 21
Sources of Waste 23
Municipal 23
Industrial Waste Discharges 35
Federal Installations 39
Institutions 39
Storm Water Overflow 39
Effects of Pollution on Water Quality and Uses 43
Introduction 43
Effects of Pollution 44
Dissolved Oxygen 44
Coliforms 48
Biology 51
Pollution Trends 51
Appendices
Appendix A
New York State Classes and Quality Standards Applicable
to Designated Waters 53
Appendix B
Interstate Sanitation Commission Classes and Quality
Standards Applicable to Designated Waters 67
Appendix C
Status of Discharges in New York State Area of the
Hudson River as Reported by New York State Health
Department 71
Appendix D
Pollution Trends in the Hudson River at a Point Below
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Water Pollution Surveillance Station
No. 18 85
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
.1. Since the time of Henry Hudson, the Hudson River has
served as a major resource for the population centers along its
shores, providing vater supply, an abundant fishery, water-borne
commerce, a place for recreation and the simple amenity of "being
by the river side. The survival of New York City, the surround-
ing metropolitan areas, and the urban areas upstream, dependB upon
the restoration and the preservation of these most vital water
uses. The area covered in this report is the Hudson River and
its tributaries from the Federal dam at Troy to the Narrows in
New York City. The Hudson River in this area is presently used
for recreational and non-recreationa.1 purposes. Numerous yacht
clubs, marinas and parks depend upon the Hudson River for their
existence. It also provides water supply for 82,000 persons of
Rensselaer, Poughkeepsie, Highland and Port Even. In the near
future, it will also serve as an emergency source of water supply
for New York City. It is a potential water supply for the
12,000,000 people of the burgeoning metropolitan areas of both
New York and New Jersey.
2. The entire Hudson River, from the Albany-Troy-Rennsselaer
area to the Narrows, can be categorically described as polluted.
The pollution from the equivalent of more than 10,000,000 persons
is discharged to the river in this area. 43$ of this is discharged
without any treatment or the equivalent of the waste of U,217,000
people. 38$ receive primary treatment. Two-thirds of the wastes
discharged originate in the State of New York, and the remainder
in the State of New Jersey. More than 50 industries discharge
their waste to the stream. In addition, 22 Federal installations
contribute waste, the equivalent of 82,000 persons to the river,
3. For recreational waters, it is recommended that the dis-
solved oxygen content be at least 5 ng/l and the coliform content
not exceed .1,000 coliforms per 100 ml. During a survey in August
of 1965, depressed dissolved oxygen conditions were found to exist
throughout the area. Levels below 5 mg/.l were found in the upper
60 miles of the stream. Values approaching zero existed immediately
below the Albany-Troy-Rensselaer area. From Saugerties to Tarrytown
values recorded averaged about 5 mg/l. Tarrytown to the Narrows
showed a steady decline with a level of 3 at the George Washington
Bridge. Lower levels occurred in the immediate harbor area and in
the tributary areas of the East and Harlem Rivers and the Newark
Bay and Kill Van Ku.ll. In these tributary areas, levels of less
than 3 vag/l were frequently observed.
b. High densities of coliforms were observed in the Upper
Hudson exceeding 5,000 per .100 ml and reaching a peak of 50,000
below Troy. Levels in excess of 1,000 are common throughout the
area from Hudson to the Hew York City line. Levels in the New
York Harbor area exceed 5>000 and in many cases reach 20,000 or
more per 100 ml. In the tributary area of the harbor, counts
exceeding 20,000 are common.
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5. The discharges of untreated and. inadequately treated
wastes interfere with the use of this stream for water supply,
recreation and fish and wild life. The levels of dissolved
oxygen and conform density observed. Were such as to render
the use of the river hazardous for recreation or water supply,
6. For the River to serve the vast population and industry
that depend upon it, and so that it may be used for the maximum
water uses possible; it will he necessary to provide and maintain
facilities to accomplish exceptionally high levels of waste reduc-
tion combined with effective disinfection. Such facilities must
at least be the equivalent of the most efficiently built and
operated secondary sewage treatment plant. Even higher levels of
waste treatment may be required in certain cases. It must be
recognized that periodic wet and dry periods will occur and re-
medial facilities must be designed to provide protection for such
occurrences. All sources of combined storm water and sewage
should be intercepted and provided with treatment. It is proposed that
the following time table be put into effect:
1) Designs for remedial facilities will be completed by
January .1, 19^7 J
2) Financing arrangements to be completed by April 1, 1967;
3) Construction started by July 1, .19&7;
Construction completed and plants placed into operation
by January 1, 1970;
5) Commensurate schedules should be adopted for the inter-
ception and treatment of industrial wastes and wastes
from Federal installations;
6) Existing schedules calling for earlier completion
dates are to be met; and
7) The problem of storm water overflows should be reviewed
and a program for action be prepared for consideration
by December 3-1? 1968.
7. Pollution originating in the State of New York is endangering
the health or welfare of persons living in the State of New Jersey;
and pollution originating in the State of New Jersey is endangering
the health or welfare of persons living in the State of New YorX
and, therefore, is subject to abatement under the provisions of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. h66 et seq).
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INTRODUCTION
On the basis of requests from Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller of
New York and Governor Richard J. Hughes of New Jersey, and on the
basis of reports, surveys, or studies, in accordance with section 8
of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 456 et seq.),
the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare called a conference
in the matter of pollution of the Hudson River and its tributaries.
Representatives of the States of New York and New Jersey and the
Interstate Sanitation Commission were invited to participate in the
conference with representatives of the Department of Health, Educa-
tion, and Welfare.
This report is based on recent studies conducted under the
supervision of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, in
addition to data obtained from other Federal, State and local agencies*
We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the Water Resource
and Public Health agencies of the States of New York and New Jersey,
the Interstate Sanitation Commission county and municipal agencies,
and other private and public groups in the conference area.
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NEW FORK CITY
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DESCRIPTION OF AREA
General
The geographical area considered is shown in Figure 1. It
encompasses the Upper Bay of New York Harbor, including "ewark Bay,
the Kill Van Kull, the East and Harlem Rivers and the main stem of
the Hudson River from the Battery to the head of navigation at the
Federal Lock at Troy, Hew York. All of the waters are maintained by
the Federal Government as navigable waterways. The distance from the
Narrows to the Battery is approximately seven miles, and the Hudson
River extends another 151 miles from the Battery to the head of navi-
gation at Troy.
The state line between New York and New Jersey in the conference
area extends through the Kill Van Kull to the middle of Upper New York
Bay. It then proceeds up the middle of the Hudson River to a point
opposite Hastings-on-Hudson where it turns westward.
The area varies from the highly complex urban metropolitan region
in and adjacent to New York City to essentially a rural section up-
stream, with the exception of the urban-industrial complex of the
Albany-Troy-Rensselaer region.
The Upper New York Bay is considered the center of the New York
Harbor complex. This basin is connected to and surrounded by four
major water systems, each of which affects Upper Bay water quality in
some manner. The largest and most important is the Hudson River,
joining the Upper Bay at its northern extremity.
The East River is a tidal strait connecting the Bay and Long
Island Sound* In the vicinity of Wards Island, the East River joins
the Harlem River which, in turn, connects with the Hudson River at
Spuyten Duyvil. Upper New York Bay is connected with Newark Bay by the
Kill Van Kull* The two major tributaries of Newark Bay are the Hacken-
sack and Passaic Rivers draining the northeastern portion of New Jersey.
The Narrows connects the Upper Bay with Lower New York Bay. Major
tidal flow Into the harbor complex is through this passage.
Agency Responsibilities
The New York State Department of Health and the New Jersey State
Health Department are responsible for administering pollution abatement
programs in their respective states. The responsibility for administer-
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ing pollution abatement programs south of the Bear Mountain Bridge
is shared by the Interstate Sanitation Commission, the New York State
Department of Health and, in the interstate reach, the New Jersey
State Health Department.
In 1936, the States of New York and New Jersey formed an inter-
state compact, which was later joined by Connecticut. The compact
established classifications for recreational and non-recreational
uses and set both effluent and stream standards for the attainment of
these objectives (Appendix B). The states set up the Interstate
Sanitation Commission to enforce the standards and to report annually
to the states on the status of pollution abatement in their mutually
interstate waters* The Commission can require compliance of any
local governmental body within its jurisdiction by legal procedures
and has done so in a number of cases. The Commission is specifically
authorised under Article XII of the Compact to develop an overall
plan of pollution abatement for the waters of concern.
The New York State Water Resources Commission, successor to the
Water Pollution Control Board, has classified the waters of the Upper
Hudson and prepared a comprehensive plan for the abatement of pollution
in the River. The plan was adopted in 1955 and contains specific
provisions and recommendations for each municipality and industry
concerned. The procedure for implementing the plan consists of two
phasest a cooperative phase and an enforcement phase. The enforce-
ment phase requires legal action by the State against the offending
polluter.
The State of Mew York in cooperation with the Interstate Sanitation
Commission has established compatible classifications in the area of
joint jurisdiction (Appendix A) and has adopted a comprehensive plan
with specific recommendations and scheduling of projects to accomplish
the objectives.
The New Jersey State Department of Health has declared that in
waters under both its control and the Interstate Sanitation Commission,
the requirements of the Tri-State Compact apply and it has conducted Its
program of pollution abatement iti the Hudson River basin accordingly.
The state has adopted a classification procedure for the waters under
its jurisdiction but has not yet classified its waters covered by this
report.
Hydrology
Water storage in the Hudson River Basin upstream of Troy, Hew York,
totals nearly 1,700,000 acre feet. About half of this storage is used for
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hydroelectric power production and the remainder for water supply,
navigation, flow regulation, and recreation.
Approximately 60 percent of the total drainage basin of the
Hudson River is upstream from the Federal Dam at Troy. This area is
about 8,100 square miles with a regulated portion of about 30 percent
or 2,450 square miles. Stream gauging records at Green Island upstream
from the Troy lock show the average annual flow to be 13,060 cubic feet
per second (cfs). An additional 5,300 square miles are tributary to
the river from Green Island to the Battery, Pro-rating flow on a
square mile basis, the average annual discharge of fresh water at the
Battery would be 21,800 cfs from the total drainage area of 13,400 square
miles.
Upstream flow regulation results in increased summer flows. The
most probable once in 10 years minimum monthly regulated discharge in
the Lower Hudson River is 4,700 cfs, and the minimum weekly 3,000 cfs.
The present extended drought has produced critical conditions of ex-
treme low flow in the river. For example, during the summer of 1965,
minimum daily mean flows in the order of 1,600 cfs have been recorded
at the Green Island gaging station.
Tidal action has a mean range of 2.9 to 4.4 feet in the Upper Bay.
Tidal influence in the Hudson River extends upstream to the Federal Dam
at Troy and affects the entire area. Tidal ranges from the Battery to
Troy are shown in Table 1. The effects of salt water intrusion extends
to West Point during normal flow and above Newburgh under extreme low
flow conditions.
Flood currents in the Hudson from the Upper Bay northward are in
the order of 1.4 to 3.0 feet per second (fps) and ebb currents 2.0 to
4.1 fps. Slack water occurs about 3-1/2 hours later at Bear Mountain
and 7-1/2 hours later at Albany than at the Narrows. These distances
are north of the Narrows about 53 and 152 miles.
The stream gradient in the Hudson River is very slight, dropping
five feet in 150 miles. The river changes from a narrow, shallow stream
at Troy to a broad and deep waterway at the New York City line. Virtually
all fresh water entering the New York Harbor complex, with the exception
of sewage and industrial wastes, is supplied by the Hudson,
There is no significant net flow in the East River, All water move-
ment is due to tidal action and is oscillatory in nature. Fresh water
flows enter the Harlem River from the Hudson River, Velocities are such
that water entering the Harlem River from the Hudson River on an ebbing
current will be carried to the East River, On the flooding current,
water from the East River will flow to the Hudson through the Harlem.
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The major flows into Newark Bay are the Hackensack and Passaic
Rivers, which together have a relatively negligible fresh water flow
during drought periods, Newark Bay does not have water depths at low
tide of more than six feet except in the dredged channels. Without
tidal flows, the area outside the main channels in Newark Bay would be
practically stagnant. Net movement of waters in Newark Bay is to the
Upper Bay through the Kill Van Kull rather than to the Arthur Kill.
Population
The area under consideration has a population of 12.3 million
people. Eleven million, or 90%, are located in the New York - New
Jersey metropolitan area* The remaining 1.3 million are located
north of the Westchester County - New York City boundary line*
Population density varies widely throughout the area. It ranges
from the rural density in Greene County of 48 persons per square mile
to Manhattan with 77,000 per square mile in Manhattan. The major
population center in the upper reach of the Hudson River is located
in the Albany-Troy-Rensselaer region.
In general, counties within the area increased in population
during the period 1950-1960. These increases ranged from 7.5% to
56.2%, One exception to this general trend was the five boroughs of New
York City, which had a total population of 7,891,957 in 1950 and
7,781,981 in 1960, a decrease of 1.1%.
Economics
The Hudson provides navigable waters between the two metropolitan
areas of New York City and Albany. Urbanization has moved north to
Bear Mountain and is moving south from Albany. Additional urban centers
are developing in the Kingston-Poughkeepsie area.
In the Upper Hudson River area the economic base is primarily
agricultural, with manufacturing plants spread along the length of the
river. In the Albany-Troy-Rensselaer area there is a concentration of
commercial, industrial and residential developnient, In this upper
river area, approximately 127,000 people are engaged in manufacturing
operations.
The economic make-up of the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area
is primarily commercial and residential with some industrial development.
The industrial development in the New York City area includes oil
refineries, manufacturing operations, processing plants and shipyards.
Of the 446 types of manufacturing industries listed by the Federal
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Table 1
HUDSON RIVER TIDAL RANGES
Locality
Mean Range
of Tide
(feet)l
Mean Range
of Spring Tide
(feet)
Battery
4.4
5.3
Spuyten Duyvil
3.9
4.7
Tarrytown
3.6
4.3
Peekskill
3*2
3.8
Beacon
3.1
3.8
Poughkeepsie
3.2
3.8
Rhinecliff
3.7
4.4
Tivoli
3.9
4.7
Hudson
4.1
4.9
Stuyvesant
4.2
5.0
Castleton
4.9
5.9
Rensselaer
4.9
5.9
Albany
5.3
6.4
Troy
5.5
6.6
^Based on records for July, August, and September 1950t adjusted
to long-term mean at Fort Hamilton.
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Bureau of Census, the Metropolitan area lacked only about 30 types
in 195i* among the 50,000 plants in the region. Approximately 1,9
million people are involved in manufacturing operations within this
area.
The New Jersey-New York Port is an area with 650 miles of usable
waterfront. Along its shores are more than 200 piers capable of
handling U00 ocean-going vessels at one time. Behind these piers
are warehouses with IS million square feet of floor space accommodating
cargoes of every description.
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WATER USES
Municipal Water Use
Present municipal vater use of the main stream of the Hudson
River is indicated in Table 2. The river, upatream from the area
affected by salt vater is used as a vater supply by four communities
serving a population of 82,000 people with a dally use of 10*7 million
gallons* The majority of communities located along the river obtain
their vater supply from tributary streams, lakes or wells rather than
from the Hudson River. Below Nevburgh salinity increases and the
water is not considered for use as a public vater supply. The New York
State Water Resources Commission has approved New York City's appli-
cation for withdrawal of 100 mgd of water from the Hudson River at
Chelsea to augment New York Cityfs upland reservoir supply. When
this occurs New York City will be the major user of the Hudson as a
source of municipal water supply.
Flans are being formulated for use of the Hudson as a source of
water supply for a group of communities in the Duchess County Water
District. These plans represent an estimated expenditure of $27,000,000,
The town and village of Rhinebeck are currently constructing a water
supply system at a cost of $800,000. The source will be the Hudson
and will serve approximately 4,000 persons0 Representatives of the
Ulster County Planning Board recently indicated that the county also
may have to tap the Hudson River as its ultimate water supply.
The present water shortage has emphasized the value of the Hudson
River as a source of water supply for the growing urban area down-
stream, including northern New Jersey.
Table 2
Municipal Water Supplies
Hudson River
Community
1960 Population
Served
Av» Water Use
mgd
Rensselaer, No Y.
Highland, N.Y,
Port Even, N„ Y,
Poughkeepeie, N. Y
15,000
4,469
2,622
60.000
82,091
2.2
1.0
0.5
7.0
10.7
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Institutional Water Use
Two institutions in Duchess County, the Hudson River State
Hospital at Poughkeepsie and the Castle Point VA Hospital at Chelsea
use the Hudson River as a potable water supply source.
Industrial Water Use
From Troy to the New York City line, 32 industries use the Hudson
River for industrial processing and cooling water. In the lower reaches
the primary use of the river is for cooling purposes. For example,
in the Westchester-Rockland County area, eight industries and steam
generating plants use a total of 119 mgd for cooling water.
In the New York metropolitan area, the primary use of river and
harbor water is for cooling purposes by steam generating plants and
industries. Industrial use, exclusive of the New Jersey plants,
amounts to 3,743 mgd from the Harlem and East Rivers, 165 mgd from
the Hudson River, and 16 mgd from the Kill Van Kull.
Recreation
Extensive recreational use is made of the waters within the
area under consideration, although poor water quality seriously limits
most water contact activity. Plans are now being made by New York
State through the Hudson River Valley Commission to expand the
recreational use of the river. From Ellis Island north to Troy,
along the Hudson River, there are a total of 87 private marinas and
yacht clubs as listed in Table 3„
The large number of marinas and yacht clubs is indicative of
the extensive use made of these waters for pleasure boating- Where
such pleasure boating flourishes, there is an increase in water con-
tact activity with a resultant increase in health hazards where
polluted waters exist,
A list of public beaches and water front parks is given in
Table 4. Of the 40 public parks in the area, 29 are in the lower
portion below Croton-on-Hudson. These parks serve the concentrated
population centers of Westchester County, Rockland County, New York
City, and New Jersey contiguous areas.
Swimming is not authorized on the Hudson River downstream from
Kingsland Point Park in North Tarryton. Other authorized swimming
areas are Croton Point Beach and Nyack Beach State Park, However,
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swimming is practiced at docks and piers and in many areas where
natural beaches are found along this same portion of the river.
Despite polluted conditions, there is unauthorized swimming along
the Manhattan-New Jersey stretch of the river. The last beach that
operated just north of the George Washington Bridge on the New Jersey
shore was closed in the 1930's because of water pollution,, Swimming
is not authorized at the several recreational parks on the Manhattan
and Queens shorelines of the Harlem and East Rivers and Upper Bay.
However, swimming does occur to a limited extent in these areas.
Recreation in the Newark Bay and Kill Van Kull is limited to
occasional sport flashing, more frequent pleasure boating, and some
unauthorized swimming.
Each year the Staten Island Ferry carries an estimated million
visitors to New York City between the Battery and St. George. In
addition, four commercially operated sightseeing companies operate
boats which travel around Manhattan Island. In 1959, it was esti-
mated that they carried over a million tourists through the north
end of the Upper Bay. Another 770,000 persons visit the Statue of
Liberty each year. The unaesthetic stain of pollution upon these
waters is thus observed at close hand by large numbers of people.
In addition, air travellers utilizing all of the metropolitan airlines
can readily observe this stain upon the face of the harbor.
The Hudson River, despite its present condition, is being used
extensively as a recreational resource. However, present abuse has
a limiting effect on its use and plans are now being developed to
enhance the river to permit recreation on a more comprehensive basis.
This year the Hudson River Valley Commission was established
to plan for the best use and conservation of the Hudson River as a
natural resource. These activities include: finding ways to pre-
serve the great scenic areas; investigating pollution; exploring the
possibilities of zoning to help beautify the river; and encouraging
boating and the water sports for which the river is suited, through
the planning of new public and private marinas and launching
facilities.
Improvement in water quality is an important factor in futhering
development of the full potential of the Hudson river. This fact
has been recognized and acknowledged by many governmental, civic
and other local organizations.
7B7-603 O-SS—2
13
-------
Name
Table 3
Private Marinas and Yacht Clubs on the Hudson River
Between Ellis Island and Troy
Location
79th Boat Basin-Hudson Harbor
Edgewater Yacht Club
Riverdale Yacht Club
Englewood Yacht Basin
Ludlow Marine Corp.
Mirsky's Outboard Marina, Inc.
Hudson Boat Club
Yonkers Corinthian Boat Club
Yonkers Yacht Club
Palisades Boat Club
Hastings Pioneer Boat Club
Tower Ridge Yacht Club
Dobb'e Ferry Marina
Irvington Boat Club
Cornetta's Marina
Leach's Marina
Shordine's Fort Comfort Yacht Basin
Washington Irving Boat Club
Tarryton Marine, Inc„
Powell's Boat Yard
Nyack Boat Club
Julius Petersen Boat Yard
Westerly Marina
Selazzo Marine
Shattemuc Yacht Club
Rockland-Bergen Yacht Club
Riverview Boat Club
Croton Yacht Club
Grassy Point Marina
Minisceongo Yacht Club
Ba-Mar Basin
Seaweed Boat Landing
Montrose Yacht Club
Kings Ferry Marina
Hudson Shore Marina
Tompkins Cove Boat Club
Peekskill Yacht Club
See's Boat Yard
Garrison Marina
Fort Montgomery Marina
Cold Springa Boating Club
Cornwall Yacht Club
New York City
Edgewater, N. J„
Riverdale, N„ Y. C.
Englewood, N. J.
Ludlow (Yonkers)
Yonkers
Yonkers
Yonkers
Yonkers
Yonkers
Yonkers
Yonkers
Dobb's Ferry
Irvingt on-Y onker s
Piermont
Piermont
Pi ermont
Tarryton
Tarryton
Nyack
Nyack
Nyack
Ossining
Ossining
Ossining
Haverstraw
Haverstraw
Cr ot on - on-Hud s on
Haverstraw
Haverstraw
Haverstraw
Stony Point Bay, Haverstraw
Montrose, Haverstraw
Greens Cove-Montrose,
Haverstraw
Verplanck, Haverstraw
TompkinB Cove, Haverstraw
Peekskill
Peekskill
Garrison
Fort Montgomery
Cold Spring
Cornwall-on-the-Hudson
14
-------
Private Marinas and Yacht Clubs on the Hudson River
Between Ellis Island and Troy (Cont'd)
Name Location
Hanaford's
Newburgh Yacht Club
Dutchess Boat Club
Chelsea Yacht Club
Macrl's Marina
New Hamburgh Yacht Club
White's Hudson River Marina
Marlboro Yacht Club
Poughkeepsie Yacht Club
Pirate Canoe Club
Highland Marina
Riverdale Boat Basin
Roger's Point Boating Association
Norrie Yacht Basin
Hidden Harbor
Rays
Ideal Marina
Dwyer's Boat Basin
Mid-Hudson
Kingston Power Boat Association
Lou's Boat Basin
DuCraft Boat Basin
Anchorage Rest
Roundout Yacht Club
Barrytown Boat Club
Saugerties Power Boat Association
Lynch"s Marina
Maiden on Hudson
Roe-Jan Creek Boat Club of Linlithgo
Catskill Marina
Hop-o-Noae Marine
Catskill Boat Club
Hudson Power Boat Association
Athens Marine Center
Coxsackie Yacht Club
Newton Hook Boat Club
Ronnie's Marina
Gerry Finke's Marina
Ravena Coeyman's Boat Club
Tri-City Yacht Club
Castleton Boat Club
Albany Yacht Club
Rensselaer Marina
Boating Center
Tri-City Yacht Basin
Newburgh
Newburgh
Beacon
Chelsea
Middle Hope, Beacon
New Hamburgh
New Hamburgh
Marlboro
Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie
Roosevelt, Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie
At Indian Kill, Poughkeepsie
Port Ewen
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston
Barrytown
Saugerties
Saugerties
Saugerties
Linlithgo Station, Catskill
Catskill
Catskill
Catskill
Hudson
Athens
Coxsackie
Coxsackie
New Baltimore
Coeymans, Albany County
Coeymans, Albany County
Albany County
Castleton-on-Hudson
Albany
Albany
Albany
Watervliet
15
-------
Tab le k
Public Beaches and Waterfront Parks in the Conference Area
NAME
LOCATION
OWNERSHIP
Shore Park
New York
City
Municipal
Owls Head
New York
City
Municipal
Liberty Island
New York
City
Federal
Ellis Island
New York
City
Federal
Battery Park
New York
City
Municipal
Henry Hudson Memorial Park
New York
City
Municipal
Riverside Park
New York
City
Municipal
Ft. Washington Park
New York
City
Municipal
Fort Tryon Park
New York
City
Municipal
Inwood Hill Park
New York
City
Municipal
Riverdale Park
New York
City
Municipal
East River Park
New York
City
Municipal
Queens Bridge Park
New York
City
Municipal
Ralney Park
New York
City
Municipal
Ward's Island Park
New York
City
Municipal
Randall's Island Park
New York
City
Munic ipal
Carl Schurz Park
New York
City
Municipal
High Bridge Park
New York
City
Municipal
Elysian Park
Hoboken
Municipal
Palisades Interstate Park
Fort Lee
- Storm King
State
Tallman Mountain Park
Tallman
State
Boyce Park
Ludlow (Yonkers)
Municipal
Trevor Park
Glenwood
Municipal
Untermyer Park
Greystone
Municipal
Irvington Park
Irvington
Municipal
Kingsland Point Park
North Tarrytown
County
Memorial Park
Nyack
Municipal
Rockland Lake Park
Rockland
Lake
State
Nyack Beach Park
Upper Nyack
State
Harmon Park
Croton on
Hudson
County
Croton Point Park
Croton on
Hudson
County
George Island Park
Crugers
Municipal
Fort Hill Park
Peekskill
Municipal
Downing Park
Newburgh
Municipal
Eastman Park
Poughkeepsie
Municipal
Wheaton Park
Poughkeepsie
Municipal
Pulaski Park
Poughkeepsie
Municipal
Norrie State Park
Staatsburg
State
Ogden Mills State Park
Staatsburg
State
Seamon Park
Saugerties
Municipal
Waterfront Pa-k
Troy
Municipal
Van Schaick Island Park
Troy
Municipal
16
-------
Commercial Navigation
The New York Harbor area and the entire Hudson River north to the
Federal Dam at Troy are used for navigation. The total amount of water
borne commerce of the Port of New York amounted to 153,198,620 short
tons in 1960. Navigation is presently a major use of the Upper Harbor
and lower portion of the Hudson River. There are 90 piers in New York
alone between the Battery and 72nd Street. Additional piers are
located on the New Jersey side of the river. The Port of New York
is the largest in the United States.
At the Port of Albany, N0 Y», the total traffic for 1960 amounted
to 6,990,978 short tons represented by a total of 5,267 vessel trips.
At the Federal Lock at Troy, N„ Y., with a navigation season running
from April 21 to December 14, the total traffic amount to 3,353,429
short tons in I960*".
The Hudson River constitutes an important link in the New York
State Barge Canal system. Commercial navigation from the Port of
New York can travel via the Hudson River and the Barge Canal to Lake
Champlain and the St. Lawrence Seaway in the north, or to the Great
Lakes in the west.
Fish
Historically the Hudson River has served as a large resource for
both commercial and sport fisheries,, Data from the New York State
Conservation Department, presented in Table 5, indicate a continual
decline in the commercial fishing harvest in recent years, primarily
attributable to a 507» reduction in the shad catch and a 657.. reduction
in the striped bass catch. At present, fishing in the river is not
fully exploited because of a natural reluctance on the part of fisher-
men to work in and take fish from areas contiguous to the discharge
of raw sewage.
"^Waterborne Commerce of the United States - Calendar Year 1960,
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers.
17
-------
Table 5
Commercial Catch In Nev York State Waters of Hudson River 1959-1963
(in thousands of" pounds)
1959
i960
1961
1962
1963
Species
lbs.
%
lbs.
lbs.
%
lbs.
$
lbs.
Bullhead
2>k
0.3
0.9
0.2
0.7
0.17
0.2
0.06
0.6
0.2
Carp
11.9
1.5
15.5
3.9
6.6
1.6
11.3
3.2
10.5
4.1
Catfish
2Q.k
2.6
23.0
4.6
19.0
4.8
14.6
4.2
9.0
-¦V
3.o
Eels
10.1
1.3
3.6
0.7
16.0
4.0
6.5
1.8
7.1
2.8
*
Herring
Aj-5.6
5.8
38.2
7.6
33.8
8.5
38.2
11.0
32.3
12.8
Shad
538.7
69.4
273.9
54.8
236.5
60.0
218.2
63.1
132.5
52.9
Striped Bass
133.1
17.1
132.9
26.6
70.7
17.9
48.1
13.9
46.7
18.6
Sturgeon
3.3
0.4
3.8
0.7
2.3
0.5
2.5
0.7
3.2
1.2
Suckers
1.0
0.1
0.8
0.2
1.5
0.3
0-8
0.2
0.6
0.2
Sunfish
0.2
0.03
0.3
0.06
0.1
0.02
0.2
0.06
0.3
0.1
Tomcod
1.2
0.1
1.7
0.3
0.8
0.2
1.1
0.3
1.3
0.5
White Perch
8.!+
1.0
4.3
0.8
6.3
1.5
4.1
1.1
5-8
2.3
Yellow Perch
0.4
0.05
0.4
0.08
0.1
0.02
0.6
0.2
Total Catch
776.7
499.3
394.4
345.8
250.5
Includes the Alewife, Alosa pseudohorengus and the Blueback herring, Alosa aestlvales.
-------
Hydro Power
The Hudson River is used at the Troy Lock and Dam as a source of
power for the Ford Motor Co, plant at Green Island, NCY, No other use
is ma^e for hydroelectric purposes within the limits of the conference
area-
Lower Hudson River Report No. 5# New York State Department of Health,
19
-------
CLASSIFICATION AND STATUS OF PROGRAMS
Classification of Waters
New York State has undertaken a program of classification of its
streams to establish the best possible water usage. (Appendix A).
The Interstate Sanitation Commission has classified waters under its
jurisdiction. (Appendix B)„ New Jersey initiated its classification
procedure in 1964 and has not yet classified their waters in the Area*
However, it has declared that the requirements of the Interstate
Sanitation Commission apply. The State has also stipulated that
minimum treatment consist of sedimentation and chlorination in tidal
waters.
New York State's classification of the Hudson River waters are
as follows:
—From the Troy lock to the south of Houghtailing Island - Class
C - fishing and fish culture.
--From the south end of Houghtailing Island to the southern end of
Esaupus Island - Class B - bathing and general recreation.
—From the south end of Esaupus Island to the general area of
Chelsea - Class A - water supply.
--From the Chelsea area to the Bear Mountain Bridge - Class B -
bathing and general recreation.
--From the Bear Mountain Bridge to the New York-New Jersey state
line opposite Hastings-on-Hudson - Class SB - recreation, fishing
and bathing.
—From the New York-New Jersey state line to the Battery - Class I -
fishing.
The classifications from Troy to Bear Mountain Bridge were adopted
in 1954. Those from Bear Mountain Bridge to the Battery were adopted
early in 1965.
In December 1964, classifications were adopted by the New York
State Water Resources Commission for New York Bay and Raritan Bay which
included the Kill Van Kull, Harlem River, and Lower East River subbasins.
These official classifications are as follows:
--Upper New York Bay - Class I - fishing.
—Kill Van Kull - Class II - water not primarily for recreational
purposes, shellfish culture or development of fish life.
20
-------
--Lower East River (except for small sector at its southern end) •»
Class Il-water not primarily for recreational purposes, shellfish
culture or development of fish life,
—Harlem River from junction with Lower East River to Washington
Bridge - Class 11 - water not primarily for recreational purposes,
shellfish culture or development of fish life.
—Harlem River from Washington Bridge to junction with the Hudson
River - Class I - fishing.
Classification by the Interstate Sanitation Commission, adopted in
1936, established Class A waters, for recreational use, from the Bear
Mountain Bridge to the area of the George Washington Bridge on the Hudson
River and the Washington Bridge on the Harlem River. The waters south
of these points to the Narrows and the Outerbridge on the Arthur Kill
were classified as Class B, non-recreational waters.
Status of Programs
Under the comprehensive plan adopted in 1955 by New York State for
the upper Hudson River, a total of 17 municipalities, 20 industries and
10 institutions, representing 370,000 people, were required to commence
abatement facilities of their pollutional discharges. Of the munici-
palities named, three have constructed and are operating primary treat-
ment plants or additions to then existing, but inadequate plants. This
represented a net reduction of 14% of the raw municipal sewage dis-
charging in 1955. Three more municipalities representing 13% of the
municipal discharges have plans for treatment. In September 1965, New
York State initiated legal action against six municipalities with a
combined population of about 250,000,
In 1947, the Interstate Sanitation Commission and New York City
entered upon a "Consent Order" agreement. There were two major provi-
sions to the consent order: 1) a first phase construction to end the
discharge of raw sewage to recreational waters by 1954 and 2) to treat
all of the sewage and other polluting wastes from New York City by
December 31, 1959. In November 1954, New York City submitted a time
schedule for the second phase of the program, requesting an extension
of time for completion from 1959 to 1964. The Commission issued a new
order in 1957 fixing a progress schedule and extending the time for com-
pletion of the entire New York City program from 1959 to December 31,
1967. At present It appears that the 1967 deadline can not be met.
Completion will be more than 20 years after the original consent order
was promulgated.
A major source of pollution in the New York Harbor area is the
discharge of primary treated sewage from the Passaic Valley Sewage
Treatment Plant. The Tri-State Compact specifically removes this plant
from the jurisdiction of the Interstate Sanitation Commission provided
the following conditions are met:
21
-------
(1) There will be absence in the New York Bay of visible suspended
particles coming from the Passaic Valley sewage,
(2) There will be absence of deposits objectionable to the Secretary
of War of the United States in the New York Bay coming from the
Passaic Valley sewage.
(3) There will be absence in the New York Bay and its vicinity of
odors due to the putrefaction of organic matters contained in
the Passaic Valley sewage thus discharged.
(4) There will be a practical absence on the surface of New York
Bay of any grease or color due to the discharge of the Passaic
Valley sewage at the dispersion area or elsewhere,
(5) There will be no injury to the public health which will be
occasioned by the discharge from the said sewer into the Bay
of New York in the manner proposed and no public or private
nuisance will be created thereby.
(6) The absence of injurious effect from said sewage discharge,
upon the property of the United States situated in the Harbor
of New York.
(7) The absence of reduction in the dissolved oxygen contents of
the waters of New York Bay, resulting from the discharge of
Passaic Valley sewage, to such an extent as to interfere with
major fish life.
From 1948 to 1956 the Passaic Valley Sewage Treatment Plant was
exempt from the enforcement provisions of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act. It is believed, however, that at present the New Jersey
State Health Department, the Interstate Sanitation Commission through
the above noted conditions of permit, and the Federal Government have
sufficient jurisdiction to deal with the discharge from this plant.
22
-------
SOURCES OF WASTE
Municipal
The total oxygen demanding load discharged to the Hudson from all
municipal sources is estimated to be equivalent to the waste from
10,000,000 people. In the area considered, from Troy to the Narrows,
there are 48 discharges of municipal wastes directly to the main stream
of the river. In addition there are 26 discharges to tributaries
throughout the entire length which directly affect the main stream.
Six municipal discharges receive secondary treatment with a resultant
effluent strength of 1,959,000 population equivalents. Forty-four
discharges received primary treatment and the resulting effluent
contributes 3,760,000 population equivalents to the stream. Raw
sewage discharges having a population equivalent of 4,297,000 are
added by 24 communities. A summary of these discharges is outlined in
Table 6.
In the upper Hudson from Troy south to the Ulster County Line , the
majority of wastes are discharged as raw sewage, or with inadequate
treatment as in the case of Albany. The P, E, discharged in the Albany-
Troy-Rensselaer area alone amounts to 250,000. Although most of the
loadings on the Hudson system in the mid-river area^ from approximately
Kingston to Bear Mountain, receive primary treatment, the total P.E.
to the River amounts to 143,000, In the more urbanized ares of West-
chester and Rockland Counties, where the majority of the sewage receives
primary treatment, the total discharges to the stream amount to 353,000
P.E. In the lower section of the river, in the New York City area,
there are large concentrations of untreated and treated municipal wastes.
Figures 2aand 2 b indicate the location of the various discharges to the
lower section.
One activated sludge plant, at Owls Head, discharges to the Upper
Bay. Pollutional discharges to the Hudson from the New York City line
to the Narrows amount to 5,091,000 P.E. Because of the tidal nature
of New York Harbor, wastes from the East River, the Harlem River, the
Kill Van Kull, and Newark Bay, enter the lower Hudson and Upper Bay
and increase its pollutional loading. 487,000 population equivalents
come from the Newark Bay-Van Kull area, and 3,693,000 population
equivalents are contributed from the East River and Harlem River areas,
A section of the Bronx, bordering the Hudson River, more than two
thirds of the Borough of Manhattan, and large portions of the areas
of Brooklyn and Staten Island, and a smaller portion of the Borough
of Queens, tributary to the Hudson River system, are presently dis-
charging raw sewage amounting to 3,920,000 P.E.
23
-------
COHDES
WATtmiETl
alb an v En:
P" isor
i reksselack
'<£^1 E GREEriBUSH
COXSACKIE
ATftEHS I
CATSXitL ¦
HUDSOH
KINGSTON
PQUGHKEEPSIE
K£MIUM«
-------
TAUMANS ISIANO
CDGEMATER
BOWERY BAY
N. BERGEN C£$>
QUEENS
H0B0*EMeSz5>
KEARNEY
LEGEND
JERSEY CJTYCqJS/--,
¦CW 4* IT v iuf£T L ^
AREA OF RAW DISCHARGE
NO TREATMENT
PRIMARY TREATMENT
PASSAIC VALLEyTciC>
5 J tipper1 Bay
SECONDARY TREATMENT
OWL SHE AO
fIGURE 2ft
PETTY OITI
-------
Table 6
Municipal Waste Discharges to the Hudson River
and Its Tributaries
River
Miles
No. Of
Battery
Municipality
Population
Tributary
To Stream
Treatment
Estimated
Flow Pop.
MGD Equiv.
151
Cohoes
20,139
None
2.00
20,130
151
Green Island
3,533
None
0.35
3,530
150
Troy
67,492
Hone
6.75
67,490
149
Uatervliet
14,000
None
l.4o
14,000
ll(8
Menands
2,314
Kone
0.25
2,310
141
Albany
126,000
Primary
12.60
126,000
Tributary-
¦ Patroons Creek
West Albany
550
None
.06
550
Tributary -
¦ Unnamed
Colonie-Latham
2,600
Primary
.26
1,800
l4l
Rensselaer
10,506
None
1.05
10,500
139
East Greenbush
5,200
Primary
.52
3,600
135
Castleton-on-Hudson
1,752
None
.18
1,750
Tributary-
Coeymans Creek
2,424
.24
Ravena
Primary
1,600
Coeymans
854
None
.09
850
122
Coxsackie
2,849
Hone
.28
2,850
116
Athens
1,754
None
.18
1,750
116
Hudson
11, 075
None
1.11
11,075
110
Catskill
5,825
IJone
.58
5,825
104
Cementon
700
None
-07
700
Tributary-
Esopus Creek
800
,08
Saugerties EBP
Primary
550
Saugerties DUP
1,600
Primary
.16
1,100
Saugerties PP
1,500
Primary
.15
1,050
Tributary-
Stoney Creek
.08
Tivoli
750
Primary
525
Tributary-
¦ Roundout Creek;
Kingston
29,000
Primary
2.90
20,300
Tributary-
¦ Tv&alskill
Highland
3,000
Primaiy
.30
2,100
74
Poughkeepsie
38,330
Primary
3.83
26,830
Jb
Arlington Sewer Dist.
-Poughkeepsie6, X.%
Primary
.62
4, 300
Tributary-
VJappinger Creek
2,450
Wappinger Falls
3,500
Primary
.35
60
Newburgh
32,000
None
3.20
32,000
60
Beacon
17,500
Primary
1-75
12,250
57
Cornwall
2,000
Primary
.20
1,400
Tributary-
Koodna Creek
.63
Hew Windsor
6,250
Primary
4,375
Cornwall SD yj-l
2, 500
Primary
.25
1,750
26
-------
Table S
Municipal 'Jastc Discharges to the Hudson River
and Its Tributaries (Cont'd)
River
Miles
Population
Estimated
No. of
Tributary
Flow
Pop,
Battery
Municipality
To Stream
Treatment MOD
Eauiv.
5^
Cold Spring
2,003
PIone
.21
2,080
50
Highland Falls
l+,l+70
Primary
.45
3,130
1+3
Peekskill
18,700
Primary
1.70
12,000
Tributary
- I'inisceongo Creek
.80
8,800
West Ilaverstraw
5,000
Primary
36
Haverstraw
5,800
Primary
.L+0
h} 200
36
Croton-on-Hudson
3,920
Primary
,1+0
3,800
32
Ossining - Liberty St.
1,600
Primary
¦ 30
1,100
Ossining - Water St.
15,000
Primary
1.10
10,1+80
31
Briarcliff Manor
1,700
Primary
.20
1,200
North Tarrytown
8,800
Primary
1.20
8,700
29
Upper Nyack
1,000
Primary
.10
500
28
Nyack
6,000
Primary
.80
10,000
28
Tarrytown
11,100
Primary
1.30
9)700
27
Couth Kyack
3,100
primary
.30
2>00
25
Piermnt
1,600
Primary
.20
1,700
25
Sewer Dist. #3 (Pearl River)
3,600
Secondary I.90
10,700
25
Sewer Dist. //2 (Orange Town)
2, 500
Priaiary
.50
1,800
2k
Irvington
5,500
Primry
.10
l+,600
16
Yonkers
bko,000
Primary
61.00
261, 500
Ik
Bronx-Riverdale
30,000
r:one
3.00
30,000
Tributary
- Harlem-Upper East River
6.00
40,000
northern Manhattan
1+0,000
None
Manhattan-Wards Island
1,1+70,000
Secondary215.00
418,100
Bronx-Hunts Point
770,000
Secondaryl30.00
*+73,700
Queens-Bovexy Bay
750,000
Secondary 100.00
3^0,300
Queens-Tallmans Island
251,000
Secondary 38*00
221,000
9
Edgewater, N. J.
21,700
Primary
1.70
15,500
8
Manhattan (West Side)
671,000
None
230.00
1,500,000*
7
North Bergen
14,700
Primary
.70
l+,6oo
5
Vfest New York
50,000
Primary
6.70
79,000
2
Hoboken
70,000
Primary
8.80
81,200
Tributary
Lower East River )
Llanhattan (East Side))
Brooklyn )
2,200,000
None
310.00 2,200,000*
*Includes transient working population.
27
-------
Table 6
River
Miles
No. of
Battery
'funic ipal Waste Discharges to the Hudson River
and Its Tributaries (Cont'd)
Population
Tributary
Est imated
Flow
Pop.
Municipality _ _
To Stream
Treatment
MGD
Equiy.
Jersey City-East
180,000
Primary
31.70
230,200
Passaic Valley
1,150,000
Primary
230.00
2,500,000
Red Ilook
130,000
None
20.00
130,000
Kill Van Kull-Newark Bay
St. George-West
25,000
None
2.50
25,000
Port Richmond
60,000
Primary
6.70
55,200
Bayonne
75,000
Primary
6.70
58,600
Newark Bay-Petty Ditch
170,000
None
30.00
170,000
Jersey City-West
120,000
Primary
12.00
170,600
Kearney
117,000
Primary
2.20
8,000
Staten Island-St. George-Ettst
25,000
None
2.50
25,000
Brooklyn-Owls Head
750,000
Secondary
98.00
495,000
Estimates of flow and population equivalents for discharges north of the Bear
Mountain Bridge were from New York State Health Department Listings. For areas
below Bear Mountain Bridge, data from the Interstate Sanitation CommleBloD. was
used.
28
-------
33% of the population equivalents discharged to the Hudson River
are from the waste discharges in New Jersey; the remaining 67% results
from discharges from New York. The major source of waste from
New Jersey is the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission outfall located
at Robbins Reef in the Upper Bay. This source discharges approximately
2,500,000 population equivalents. An additional major source of
waste is the discharge of raw sewage from the Petty Ditch into Newark
Bay, The Petty Ditch discharges approximately 170,000 population
equivalents of raw sewage from a section of Newark. Construction is
currently under way on an intercepting sewer which will divert the
waste from the Petty Ditch area to the Passaic Valley Sewage Treatment
Plant. Construction is also under way on interceptors in the lower
half of Manhattan and a major treatment facility at Newtown Creek in
Brooklyn which will service the intercepted area. The Newtown Creek
facility is expected to be in operation in 1967. Sewage is presently
being discharged untreated.
Public Health Service grants for construction of sewage facilities
in the area under consideration are summarized in Table 7.
787-603 O 65 3
29
-------
Table 7
Public Health Service Grants for Construction of Sevrage Treatment Facilities
For Communities South or Albany, N, Y. that discharge to
the Hudson Kiver
Project Name
Number
Date of
Offer
Type*
New Jersey
North Bergen
Outtenberg
Weehauken-tlnion
City
WPC-MJ-14 12/30/57
WPC-NJ-32 11/6/61
WPC-UJ-69 2/12/63
Primary STP
Intercepting Sever
(Treatment at Ho.
Bergen Plant)
Intercepting Sewer
(Primary treatment
at Hobofcen STP)
Hew York
Bethlehem
WPC-KY-3 2/27/57
East Greenbush VPC-flY-29 5/20/57
Greenport
wpc-wy-3s 9/13/57
Primary STP
Additions to
Primary STP
Primary STP
Total
Cost
Eligible
Cost
Grant
Status
$855,000 $855,000 $250,000 Completed
June 63
83,200
52, lW
63,200
2^,2+69 Construction
started 6/16/65
5^3,000 5^3>000 110,700 Completed 196k
260,600 260,600
52,1bb
204,900 20k, 900
70,660
15,6I+3
70,566
Coinpleted
1/13/59
Completed
V2/58
Completed
1/7/60
* STP - Sevage Treatment Plant
-------
Table 7
Public Health Service Grants for Construction of Sewage Treatment Facilities
for Communities South of Albany, N. Y. that discharge to
the Hudson River (Cont'd)
Project Name
Number
Date of
Offer
Type*
New York (Cont'd)
Hudson
Poughkeepsie,
Arlington Sewer
District
Poughkeepsie
WPC-NY-258 4/20/65
VJPC-NY-ll 3/12/57
Primary STP
Primary STP
WPC-NY-22 3/21/57
Primary STP
Wappingers Palls WPC-RY-46
12/13/5T Primary STP (Ef-
fluent discharged
to Wappingers Creek,
1-1/3 miles from
Hudson River)
Total Eligible
Cost Cost
1,425,000 1,425,000
154,676
154,676
City of Beacon WPC-NT-75 4/l6/59
Primary STP 1,126,300 1,126,300
City of Beacon WPC-HY-148 12/l9/6l Intercepting
Sewer (Dis-
350,000 339,800
*STP - Sewage Treatment Plant
charge to STP
"built tinder NY-75
Grant
868,400 851,700 255,510
762,700 762,700 228,8l4
Status
Not yet adver-
tised for "bids
Completed
H/5/59
250,000 Completed
10/17/59
46,402 Completed
6/10/60
250,000 Completed
1962
101,940 Completed
10/64
-------
Table 7
Public Health Service Grants for Construction of Sewage Treatment Facilities
for Coimuaities South of Albany, H. Y. that discharge to
the Hudson River (Conrfc1 d)
Project Name
Nujaber
Date of
Offer
New York (Cont*d)
Highland Falls WPC-NY-V7 9/H/59
Type*
Ifefourgh
Primary STP and
additions to an
existing primary
Plant
WPC-MY-53 8/17/59 Primary STP
Total Eligible
Cost Cost
Grant
2,760,000 1,276,800 250,000
Status
182,13^ 182,134 5k,6k0 Completed
ll/Xk/62
Authorized to
Advertise 6/5/63
Kb Bids Taken as
Yet
New Windsor
WPC-KY-14-6 U/22/61 Additions to a
Primary STP
Village of Cold WPC-trr-2M* ll/l9/6k
Srpings
Primary STP
125,000
97,850
29,355 Completed
11/30/6^
519, 830 if81,000 l4^j 300
Authority to
Advertise 6/15/
65
Orangetovm
WPONY-69 9/26/5S Primary STP
535,850 535,350
l60,755 Completed
V12/61
* STP - Sewage Treatment Plant
-------
Table 7
Public Health Service Grants For Construction of Sewage Treatment Facilities
for Communities South of Albany, N. Y. that Discharge to
the Hudson River (Cont'd)
Project Name
number
Date of
Offer
Type*
Total
Cost
New York (cont'd)
Orangetown
w
w
Piermont
Nyack
Town of Lloyd
WPC-NY-176 12/19/62
WPC-NY-9
5/7/58
Interceptors and 1,871,800
Pumping Stations
Treatment (Primary)
at STP built under TJY-69
and at another primary
STP at Pearl River
Punning station, 451,031
Force main, and In-
terceptor (treatment
to be at Orangetown
Plant)
WPC-HY-1&) 2/23/62 Alterations to ex- 19,140
isting priiaary STP
WPC-NY-112 10/25/60 Alterations to ex- 130,500
isting Primary STP
Eligible
Cost Grant
Status
612,700 183,810 85$ Complete
11/64
357,900 107,370 50?fe Complete
8/65
19.l4o 5,7U1 conplete
5/18/62
127,515 38,254 Completed
8/1/64
~STP - Sewage Treatment Plant
-------
Table 7
Public Health Service Grants For Construction of Sewage Treatment Facilities
for Communities South of Albany, IT. Y. that Discharge to
the Hudson River -(Cont'd)
Project Karae
Hew York (Cont'd)
Kingston
Number
Date of
Offer
Type#
WPC-NY-121 7/3/61 Interceptor and addi-
tions to existing
Yonkers WPC - NY - 50 9 A^/58
Westchester County)
prima^ 3TP
Primary STP
PeekskilJ.
vrPC-NY-08 3/2^/60 Interceptor Sewer,
Pumping station Si
Force Main (Prinary
treatment at existing
STP
Buchanan
Buchanan
WPC-NY-155 1/18/62
Secondary STP
WPONY-2^7
k/15/65 Pumping Station,
Force Main and
Interceptor
(Treatment at
Buchanan STP)
Total Eligible
Cost Cost
582,300 282,300
10,500
b,QkO
671,300 550,000
778,800 36k,0^2
187,500 175,500
Grant
52,650
Status
8^,690 Completed
¦/if 65
250,000 Completed
3/60
165,000 6l^ coirrplete
7/12/65
1091212 Completed
9/63
Under Con-
struct ion
V19/65
*STP - Sewage Treatment Plant
-------
Industrial Waste Discharges
The listing of waste discharges to the Hudson, prepared by the
New York State Health Department, indicated that there are at least
53 known discharges of industrial wastes to the Hudson River or its
immediate tributaries, A list of industrial waste discharges in
New Jersey is not available from the official water pollution control
agencies concerned to the best knowledge of the Federal investigators.
Similarly, specific information on volume and strength of industrial
wastes in both New York and New Jersey discharged to the Hudson River
or its tributaries was not available. In the Albany area there is a
concentration of paper manufacturing plants and meat packing houses.
Both of these industry groups are normally known to contribute large
organic loadings to the stream. Table 8 summarizes the information
provided by the New York State Health Department. It indicates that
industry is equally distributed down the length of the stream and the
sizes of the industries, in many cases, are significant as can be
noted from the number of employees shown in Table B. The contribu-
tions from these industries to the water pollution problems of the
Hudson are indicated in the summary of the waste characteristics.
Industries located on the tributaries in many cases cause problems
on the main stream of the Hudson, Industrial wastes in the Moodna
Creek area have been brought to the attention of the Public Health
Service on several occasions, as creating a public nuisance.
35
-------
Table 8
Industries Discharging Wastes to the Hudson River
River
Miles
Company
Employees Waste Characteristics
151-133 ALBANY COUNTY
Manning Paper
Alleghany-Ludlura Corp
Delaware & Hudson
Tobin Packing Co.
Mohawk Paper Co.
Carr Packing Co.
Behr-Mamiing
151-133 RENSSELAER COUNTY
F.C. Huyck & Sons
Fort Orange Paper Co.
Loeffel Waste Oil Co.
Ludlow Valve Co.
Winthrop-Stearns Corp.
General Analine & Film
Wood-Flong Corp
Cuett-Peabody & Co.
133-101 COLUMBIA COUNTY
Columbia Corp.
Prince-High Rock Mills
Clermont Fruit Packers
Northeast Fruit Growers Corp.
103.-76 DUTCHESS COUNTY
Texaco Research Center
Orchard Hill Farms
DeLaval Separator
Western Lithograph Co.
36
800
1750
1050
375
90
1750
koo
lj-00
250
1350
800
1220
190
1100
850
1000
Paper wastes (fiber,
color, organic solids)
Oil and Discoloration
Oil
Meat processing (organic,
color, solids)
Solids, fiber, discolorati
Blood and washings
Acids and Organics
Felt and fabrics (fiber,
colors, solids)
Paper wastes (fibers,
colors, organic, solids,
chemicals)
Oil sludge
Metal processing (acids,
alkalies,, solids)
Drug manufacturing
(chemicals, colors,
solids)
Dye wastes (solids, color,
chemicals)
Paper wastes (fibers,
colors, organic, solids,
chemicals)
Paper wastes (color,
solids, organic)
BOD and discoloration
Solids and discoloration
Solids and odors
Discoloration from petro^
leum wastes
Septic system overflow
No present problem
Present sewage system
needs updating
-------
Table 8
Industries Discharging Wastes to the Hudson River (Cont'd)
River
Miles
Company
Employees Waste Characteristics
101-76 UISTER COUNTY
76-43
43-21
43-12
Roundout Paper Mills
Martin Contine Coated
Paper Co.
Ulster County Tissue Mills
Dal Vechia & Sons
Hudson Valley Apple Prod.
Hudson Valley Wine Co.
ORANGE COUNTY
Ferndale Farms
Mack Brothers
Monroe Laundry
Majestic weaving
Am. Felt. Co.
National Gypsum Co.
ROCKLAUD COUNTY
Continental Can Co., Inc.
Kay-Fries Chemicals, Inc,
Elk Piece Dye Corks, Inc.
United Wire Goods
E&S Finishing Co.
Pierraont Finishing Co.
Head Textile Printers
New York Trap Rock Corp.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Refined Syrups & Sugars, Inc
Chev. Div. of General
Motors, Inc.
Hudson Wire Co.
Barlow Chemical Corp.
New York Central RR Co
84 Color, solids, turbidity
Color from dye and finish-
ing wastes
Color from dye and finish-
ing wastes
15 Solids from food processing
45 Solids and spent caustic
solutions
14 Volatiles from evaporators
Milky discoloration
Waste treatment system
failing
Greyish Discoloration
Fabric process and dye wastes
425 Color from fabric processing
and sewage
65 Discoloration and turbidity
from processing
1150 White water and equipment
wash-up
225 Dark gray discoloration
150 Dye wastes
75 Plating rinse waters) Receiving'
73 Dye rinsing ) stream
Dye rinsing ) blue
Dye rinsing ) discolor
) ation
457 Orange discoloration and
turbidity
600 Turbidity, color, sludge from
sewage and wastes
4000 Color and oil from metal wash-
ing and paint spraying
118 Plating and pickling wastes
Process wastes from produc-
tion of synthetic chemicals
Oil filter cleaning and shop
wastes
37
-------
Table 8
Industries Discharging Wastes to the Hudson River (Cont'd)
River
Miles
Company
WESTCHESTER COUNTY (Cont'd)
Standard Coated Products
Standard Brands} Inc.
Cortland Stone Co,
The Ednalite Optical Co.
Anaconda Wire & Cable Corp.
Fords Steel Products Corp.
Employees Waste Characteristics
200
1+25
68
5300
38
Turbidity, color and sludge
from sewage and wastes
Color from yeast fermentation
and vinegar
Turbidity from dust control
Turbidity and oil from grind-
ing processes
38
-------
Federal Installations
The Federal installations discharging wastes to surface water
within the discussion area are shown in Table 9. In some cases the
discharge is from an installation providing treatment of a portion
of the total waste generated. Federal installations that discharge
to municipally owned and operated sewerage systems have not been listed
in this report; however, they do represent the major method of discharge
in the conference area. Treatment of a Federal waste discharged to a
municipally-operated sewerage system becomes the direct responsibility
of the municipality through governing local and state health agencies.
In the table several installations discharging both direct to the surface
waters and to the city sewers are listed.
Present plans call for the connection of the Statan Island Marine
Hospital and the Governor's Island installations to municipal sewer
systems. Plans are presently being processed for a treatment plant
for the industrial waste from Watervliet Arsenal. The installations
at St. George, the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, and Brooklyn Army Terminal
are being deactivated. In summary, there are 15 Federal installations
discharging 6.3 mgd without treatment and there are 8 installations
discharging 1,2 mgd with treatment. Two installations discharge
300,000 gpd to city sewers. The total discharge from Federal installa-
tions is 8 mgd or less than 1% of the total waste discharge to the
Hudson River.
Institutions
There are a number of public institutions located along the banks
of the Hudson River, many of which discharge their wastes to the stream.
There are numerous units ranging in size up to establishments such as
Letchworth Village and Sing-Sing Prison. The discharges from institu-
tions normally closely approximate the discharge from municipalities in
composition and pollutional effect.
Storm Water Overflow
Many of the sewerage systems in the Hudson River Valley are composed
of combined sewers. Historically, the generally accepted engineering
practice in this country has been to design combined sewers to handle
storms two to three times the dry weather flow. When the flow exceeds
this, a combination of sewage and storm water is by-passed directly to
the receiving water. This phenomenon which occurs as often as once a
week during the summer months when normal rainfall patterns exist,
results in substantial organic loadings being discharged to the stream.
In the Upper East River area, there are -more than 60 combined outlets
39
-------
Table 9
FEDERAL INSTALLATIONS DISCHARGING TO SURFACE WATERS WITHIN THE CONFSRENCS AREA
INSTALLATION
AGENCY
EST. VOLUME GPD
SANITARY INDUSTRIAL
TREATMENT
STREAM
Troy Lock & Dam
CofE
260
None
Hudson
St George Base
C G *
30,000
None
N.Y. Harbor
Robbins Reef Lt. Sta.
C.G.
120
None
NbY, Harbor
S.I. Marine Hosp*
PHS
177,000
City Sewer
19,000
None
N.Y. Harbor
Hudson Reserve Fleet
Maritime
Ad 0 2,500
None
Hudson
Naval Shipyard-Bklyn
Navy
750,000
None
East
4,700,000
None
East
Medical Supply Agency
GSA
30,000
None
N.Y. Harbor
Bklyn Army Terminal
Army
348,000
Sewer
112,000
None
N *Y * Harbor
Governors Island
Army
357,000
None
N.Y. Harbor
Statue of Liberty
N,P#S,
10,000
Primary
N.Y. Harbor
Governors Is1* Light
C,G4
100
None
N.Y, Harbor
U.S. Military Academy
Army
75£,000
Primary
Hudson
Training Camps
Army
94,000
Primary
Popolopen Crk
Golf Clubhouse
Army
1,300
Primary
Highland Br*
Qtrs 148,394,609
Army
800
None
Hudson
U * S. S t o rehous e-Albany
CofE
100
None
Patroon Crk.
Watervliet Arsenal
Army
102,400
City Sewer
243,000
None
Hudson
No. Brother Isl* Lt. Sta,
C, G.
100
None
East
Throggs Neck Lt. Sta,
C.G.
100
Primary
East
VA Hosp - Castle Pt.
V.A t
81,000
Primary
Hudson
VA Hosp - Montrose
V.A.
166,000
Primary
Hudson
Bayonne Supply Depot
Navy
70,000
Primary
N.Y. Harbor
-------
Table 10
INSTITUTIONS DISCHARGING WASTES TO THE HUDSON RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES
POPULATION DISCHARGES
TRIBUTARY FLOW ESTIMATED
INSTITUTIONS
TO STREAM
TREATMENT
MGD
P E
N.Y. State Hosp. - Poughkeepsie
6,000
Primary
0.60
4,200
N.Y. State Hosp, - Matteawan
3,000
Primary
0.30
2,100
N.Y. State Hospital - Rockland
500
Primary
0.05
350
Letchworth Village
4,000
Primary
0.40
2,800
Palisades Interstate Park
5,000
Primary
0.10
3,500
Sing Sing State Prison
3,000
Primary
0.30
2,100
St. Joseph's Home
500
None
0.05
500
N.Y. Military and Naval Affairs
2,400
Primary
0.24
1,680
-------
serving the Bronx and Queens~ This area is completely sewered to modern
sewage treatment plants providing secondary treatment. The effect of
the storm water overflows is to undo the extensive treatment and subse-
quent removal of waste materials that the sewage treatment plants were
constructed to accomplish. Combined sewers exist in many other areas
of the Hudson River system. Loadings from these sewers are not avail-
able t
42
-------
EFFECTS Or POLLUTION OH WATER QUALITY AND USES
Introduction
Sewage and many industrial wastes contain organic matter that
decomposes and exerts a demand on the oxygen dissolved in the receiving
waters* In the process of degradation, the dissolved oxygen is reduced
below its normal level in satisfying the demand of the decomposing
organic material. High concentrations of decomposable material will
cause a sharp reduction of the oxygen in the stream with a resulting
reduction or elimination of desirable aquatic life including fish.
Wastes strong enough to completely deplete the dissolved oxygen will
cause offensive odors. Dissolved oxygen, therefore, is universally
regarded as one of the criteria for judging water quality.
A generally accepted requirement throughout the country for mainten-
ance of a good quality water for protection of aquatic life and other
uses is five milligrams of oxygen dissolved in each liter (mg/1). A
liter is approximately one quart of water. Because of the tidal char-
acteristics and mixing of the waters within the conference area, a
lower quality of water in one section has a direct effect on other
areas including those with a higher quality water.
Municipal waste effluents contain enormous numbers of intestinal
bacteria, among which there are usually pathogenic organisms that
cause gastro-intestinal diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid fever.
Pathogenic bacteria can cause illness in persons who contact or ingest
waters containing them. Effective waste treatment and disinfection
can reduce or eliminate the density of pathogenic bacteria and the
resulting hazard of contracting diseases from waste discharges.
Bacteria of the coliform group typically occur in excreta or feces
and can readily be detected. Coliform bacteria, usually harmless in
themselves, are always present in river water receiving municipal
wastes and have been used as an indication of the probable presence
of pathogenic organisms. The possibility of pathogens being present
in the absence of coliform organisms is extremely remote. The
coliform group has been used by numerous state and interstate pollution
control agencies as a basis for water quality objectives for various
water uses. For recreational waters, where body contact is present,
e.g. swimming or water skiing, it has been the practice of most
state water pollution control agencies to subscribe to a requirement
not to exceed a mean value of coliform density of 1,000 organisms in
100 milliliters, or about four ounces of water (1000/100 ml)» Because
of the intermixing through tidal currents between recreational and non-
recreational waters, waste discharges affect areas other than that to
43
-------
which they are discharged* In no instance should discharges to non-
contact recreational waters be of such quality as to adversely affect
waters of higher use.
Unpolluted water supports a diverse population of botton organisms
and fish* Two major changes may occur in the biological populations
of rivers as the result of the discharge of wastes: (1) there will be
an increase in the number of pollution tolerant organisms with a
corresponding decrease in the numbers and species of clean water
indicator organisms; (2) the discharge of wastes may be so great or
may be of a toxic nature such that all bottom dwelling organisms are
destroyed^ leaving a complete absence of biological life. Biological
evaluations are a valid indicator of the degree of water pollution*
Effects of Pollution
Water quality in the Hudson River system is the result of the
numerous discharges of untreated and inadequately treated wastes from
municipalities and industries from the Federal Dam and Lock at Troy
to the Narrows*
Dissolved Oxygen
On the basis of the criteria of dissolved oxygen content, the river,
during a survey this August, demonstrated the impact of the wastes dis-
charged to it (Figure 3)* For a distance of some 60 miles downstream
from the Albany-Troy-Rensselaer area, depressed oxygen conditions
existed* For 20 miles, from Albany downstream, the river was essentially
devoid of dissolved oxygen4
The river never returned to a state of relatively complete oxygen
saturation until it reached the ocean in the New York Bight. This was
the result of additional waste discharges downstream which were
sufficient to prevent full recovery. The maximum levels reached during
the August survey were 7 mg/1 in the vicin'ty of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
At this point the effect of the discharges in the New York metropolitan
area* carried by tidal currents, further depressed the oxygen levels
to less than 4 mg/1* In the immediate City area, from the George
Washington Bridge to the Narrowst dissolved oxygen levels of less than
^ mg/1 generally prevailed. Previous surveys of October 1963 and July
1965 by the Public Health Service present similar patterns of oxygen
content*
An examination of the extensive records maintained by the New York
City Department of Public Works indicates that the levels of oxygen
found in August of this year are not significantly different from
those that have prevailed over the summers of the past ten years in
this general area (Figure 4). Dissolved oxygen in the metropolitan
area, because of the influx of sea water, shows considerable stratifica-
tion, with much lower values recorded for the underlying waters of the
44
-------
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
DISSOLVED OXYGEN-HUDSON RIVER
AUGUST 22-24.1965
TROY
140
A
120
100 80
RIVER MILES
60
40
20 0
BATTERY
FIGURE 3
-------
DISSOLVED OXYGEN-NEW YORK HARBOR
MT. ST. VINCENT
SPUYTEN DUYVIL
155 ST
SUMMER
1955
I960
1964
42 ST
BATTERY
NARROWS
N YCOPW
mm 4
-------
area. Values of approximately 5 mg/1 on the surface to 3 mg/1 on the
bottom were recorded in the Mount St. Vincent area at the New York
City line. The low point in the Hudson River proper appears to exist
in the area between the Battery and 42nd Street where surface values
of approximately 3 mg/1 were recorded and underlying water values
of 2, to 2,5 mg/1 have been recorded.
Dissolved oxygen in the Hudson River varies on the average from
about 4,5 mg/1 at the city line to about 3.0 mg/1 at the Battery and
recovers to about 4,0 mg/1 at the Narrows. In general, mean values
during warm weather periods are less than 4,0 mg/1 throughout the
entire section under consideration. The effect of the discharge at
the Passaic Valley outfall was demonstrated by data collected by the
Interstate Sanitation Commission in 1958. At that time, it became
necessary for Passaic Valley to bypass their sewage without treatment
for a period of time. During this time dissolved oxygen throughout
the Bay was reduced about 1.3 mg/1 with a low mean value of 2,3 mg/1
resulting at the Battery.
Oxygen levels in the major tributary areas of New York Harbor
similarly showed severely depressed conditions due to the large volume
of urban wastes discharged to the system in this area.
The untreated wastes discharged into the lower East River from
Manhattan Island below 72nd Street and from Brooklyn south of Newtown
Creek have resulted in a foul smelling, unesthetic and thoroughly
degraded waterway. The dissolved oxygen content from the Battery to
Ward's Island is less than 3,0 mg/1 with lower limits observed at less
than 0,5 mg/1 at Newtown Creek, When the proposed Newtown Creek treat-
ment plant is placed into operation, the treated sewage will be dis-
charged right at the present low point for dissolved oxygen just
opposite the United Nations building.
Vast quantities of sludge deposits on the bottom of the river
also contribute to the dissolved oxygen degradation and to the highly
unsightly condition. Ths Lower East River is a long way from attaining
5,0 mg/1 and, in fact, cannot even meet the Interstate Sanitation
Commission standard of 30% saturation. During warm weather, 30%
saturation equals a dissolved oxygen of about 2.2 mg/1. The Upper
East River north of Ward's Island has been described by the State of
New York as polluted throughout its entirety. Dissolved oxygen during
the summer varies from about 0,7 mg/1 near Ward's Island to about 2.5
to 3.0 mg/1 at Throgs Neck, just before entry to Long Island Sound.
In the Harlem River area dissolved oxygen ranges from a high of
3.5 mg/1 at Spuyten Duyvil, where the Harlem joins the Hudsoi^ to 1.5
mg/1 at the East River. Polluted waters from the Harlem River will
penetrate to the Hudson River when the currents are flowing in a
northerly direction.
47
-------
Dissolved oxygen values in the Kill Van Kull have often been
observed at values of less than 2 mg/1 and in the main channel of
Newark Bay at less than 2.5 mg/1. Newark Bay is, in effect, a vast
holding pond with little net movement of the wastes discharged to it.
These wastes exercise their biochemical oxygen demand in the immediate
area of the discharge to such an extent as to make the conditions of
these waters offensive. In instances when the Passaic Valley Treat-
ment Plant was discharging to Newark Bay, values of dissolved oxygen
approaching septicity were experienced throughout Newark Bay and
the Kill Van Kull.
Coliforms
On the basis of criteria of coliform density, a pattern of high
coliform counts, reflecting discharges of raw and inadequately
treated municipal wastes were found in the August 1965 survey as
shown in Figure 5. Peak values in excess of 50,000/100 ml were
found in the immediate area of Albany-Troy-^ensselaer, with levels in
excess of 1,000/100 ml extending as far south as Catskill, a distance
of 40 miles. Coliform densities at the Rensselaer water intake exceeded
15,000/100 ml. Bacterial pollution discharged to the Hudson in the
area causes a health hazard to persons who come in contact with the
water for recreational or other purposes within the 40 mile area.
From Catskill to Tarrytown values of from 3,000 to 5,000/100 ml wer>e
recorded, exceeding the recommended 1,000/100 ml maximum for recreational
waters. From Tarrytown to the New York City line, coliform densities
increased in value to greater than 5,000/100 ml.
Data from the New York City Department of Public Works show that
mean coliform densities for the past ten summers have been in excess
of 10,000/100 ml throughout the Hudson from the George Washington
Bridge to the Narrows (Figure 6). Mean values of 22,000/100 ml,
upstream at Spuyten Duyvil in 1960, and 14,000/100 ml at Mount St.
Vincent were also recorded. In the Robbins Reef area of New York Bay,
values of 33,000/100 ml have been recorded. The average coliform
density in the lower Hudson, between the Battery and the George
Washington Bridge ranges between 6,000 and 40,000/100 ml, depending
upon the tidal phase, Coliform densities are higher in the bottom
waters than the surface waters and at all times coliform densities
exceeded 5,000/100 ml.
The East River again showed the effect of severe pollution with
concentration reportedly greater than 110,000/100 ml being reached.
At Newtovm Creek, samples have been isolated of coliform counts of
greater than 2,000,000/100 ml. Coliform data gathered in the Rikers
Island area indicate an average density of 30,000 to 50,000/100 ml
48
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100.000
50,000
COLIFORM-
HUDSON RIVER
AUGUST 22-24,1965
10,000
5000
1000
^ 500
CO
100
140
120
TROY
100 80 60
RIVER MILES
40
, T—1
20 0
BATTERY
FIGURE 5
-------
COLIFORM-NEW YORK HARBOR
100.000
SUMMER
1955
50,000
^ 1960
H 1964
10,000
5000
CO
1000 -
500
100
3$
MI ST. VINCENT SPUYTEW DUYVIL 155 ST
42 ST. BATTERY NARROWS
NYCOPW
FIGURE 6
-------
and as one moves further east means of 4,000 to 10,000/100 ml have
been recorded at Throgs Neck, Tlood waters from the lower East
River bring pollution from that area to the upper East River and also
effluents from Wards Island, Bowery Bay and Hunts Pointy which
receive no chlorination, reach the site of proposed beaches at Ferry
Point Park and Little Bay, The coliform density in this area exceeds
values of 1,000/100 ml at present. This area cannot be used for
bathing because of sewage contamination from both treated and untreated
wastes, During wet weather over-flows from the combined sewers
systems increase the coliform densities by three to four times their
dry weather value.
In the Harlem River coliform densities range from 22,000 to
60,000/100 ml at the East River to 10,000 to 35,000/100 ml at its
juncture with the Hudson River, Coliform densities in the Harlem
River become progressively higher at those stages of current where
the highly polluted waters from the East River flow up and through
the Harlem into the Hudson River*
In the Kill Van Kull and in the mouth of Newark Bay, coliform
densities have been observed to exceed 20,000/100 ml regularly.
Biology
Biological study of the Hudson during August 1965 confirms the
pollutional patterns discussed in the preceeding paragraphs. Pollution
tolerant organisms were found in extensive sections of the river from
the Federal Dam at Troy downstream to Newburgh* Even these forms were
not present in the vicinity of Albany and for a distance of 20 miles
downstream. Oil coated the bottom and floated on the surface.
Decomposing sludge deposits on the bottom caused gas bubbles to break
the surface imparting obnoxious odors. Silts from industrial plants ~
rock crushing - were found to blanket the bottom in several areas,
eliminating bottom life.
In the New York Harbor area> extensive sludge blankets exist in
the East River and in Newark Bay, Rising sludge is visible in the
shallower areas *
Pollution Trends
The Public Health Service maintained cooperatively at Poughkeepsie,
a Water Pollution Surveillance System station over the past seven years*
The records of this station were reviewed to determine longer term
trends. The report on this station appears in Appendix D* In summaryt
the report indicates significant pollution on the basis of coliform
levels recorded.
51
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APPENDIX A
NEW YORK STATE CLASSES AND QUALITY STANDARDS
APPLICABLE TO DESIGNATED WATERS
53
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appendix a
CLASSIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS OF
QUALITY AND PURITY
Adopted by New York Water Pollution Control Board
pursuant to Article 6*. Public Health Law
ADOPTING ORDER
Pursuant to the authority contained in
Article 6* of the Public Health Lawp the
Board having held public hearings as there
in provided, hereby adopts the following
classifications and standards of quality and
purity for the waters of Mew York State:
I GENERAL CLASSIFICATION-
STANDARDS SYSTEM
1. Definitions
The several terms, words or phrases here-
inafter mentioned shall be construed as
follows:
a, Best usage of waters as specified for
each class shall be those uses as deter-
mined by the Board in accordance with the
considerations prescribed by Section 109**
of the public Health Law.
b* Approved treatment as applying to
water supplies means treatment accepted as
satisfactory by the authorities responsible
for exercising supervision over the sanitary
quality of water supplies,
c, Source of water supply for drinking,
culinary or food processing purposes shall
mean any source, either public or private*
the waters from which are used for domestic
consumption or used in connection with the
processing of miLk, beverages, foods or for
other purposes which require finished water
meeting U.S. Public Health Service Drinking
Water Standards,
» Now Article 12
*» Now Section 3209
d. Fishing shall include the propagation of
fish and other aquatic life*
e. Agricultural shall include use of waters
for stock watering, irrigation and other farm
purposes but not as source of water supply
for drinking, culinary or food processing pur-
poses.
f. Tidal salt waters shall mean all tidal
waters which are so designated by the Board
and which generally shall have a chloride
ion content in excess of 250 parts per mil-
lion.
2< Conditions Applying To All
Classifications and Standards
a. In any case where the waters into which
sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes
effluents discharge are assigned a different
classification than the waters into which
such receiving waters flow, the standards
applicable to the waters which receive such
sewage or wastes effluents shall be supple-
mented by the following:
1lThe quality of any waters receiving sew-
age* industrial wastes or other wastes dis-
charges shall be such that no impairment of
the best usage of waters in any other class
shall occur by reason of such sewage, indus-
trial wastes or other wastes discharges/*
b< Natural waters may on occasion have
characteristics outside of the limits estab-
lished by the standards. The standards
adopted herein relate to the condition of
waters as affected by the discharge of sew-
age, industrial wastes or other wastes.
55
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3. Classes end Standards for Fresh Surface Waters
CLASS A A
Best usage of waters: Source of water supply for drinking, culinary or food processing
purposes and any other usages.
Conditions related to best usage; The waters, if subjected to approved disinfection
treatment, with additional treatment if necessary to remove naturally present impurities,
meet or will meet U. S* Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards and are or will be
considered safe and satisfactory for drinking water purposes.
Quality Standards F
Items
1* Floating solids; settleable solids; oil;
sludge deposits; tastes or odor produc-
ing substances.
2* Sewage or wastes effluents*
r Class A A waters
Specifications
None attributable to sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes.
None which are not effectively disinfected.
3* pH>
4. Dissolved oxygen*
5. Toxic wastes, deleterious substances,
colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
Range between 6.5 and 8-5*
For trout waters, not less than 5.0 parts
per million; for non-trout waters, not less
than 4.0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other sub-
stances or wastes in sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to be injurious to
fish life, make the waters unsafe or unsuit-
able as a source of water supply for drinking*
culinary or food processing purposes or im-
pair the waters for any other best usage as
determined for the specific waters which are
assigned to this class*
NOTE NO. 1: In determining the safety or suitability of waters in this class for use as a
source of water supply for drinking, culinary or food processing purposes
after approved treatment, the Water Pollution Control Board will be guided by
the standards specified in the latest edition of "Public Health Service Drink-
ing Water Standards" published by the United States Public Health Service,
NOTE NO. 2: With reference to certain toxic substances as affecting fish life, the establish-
ment of any single numerical standard for waters of New York State would be
too restrictive. There are many waters, which because of poor buffering
capacity and composition, will require special study to determine safe con-
centrations of toxic substances.
56
-------
However, based on non-trout waters of approximately median alkalinity (SO
p.p.m.) or above for the state, in which groups most of the waters near Ir^
dustrial areas in this state will fall, and without considering increased or
decreased toxicity from possible combinations, the following may be con-
sidered as safe stream concentrations for certain substances co comply with
the above standard for this type of water. Waters of lower alkalinity must be
specially considered since the toxic effect of most pollutants will be greatly
increased.
Ammonia or Ammonium compounds
Cyanide
Ferro-or Ferricyanide
Copper
Zinc
Cadmium
Not greater than 2.0 parts per million (NH^) at pH of
8.0 or above
Not greater than 0.1 part per million (CN)
Not greater than 0*4 parts per million (Fe(CN)6)
Not greater than 0.2 parts per million (Cu)
PJot greater than 0,3 parts per million (Zn)
Not greater than 0.3 parts per million (Cd)
CLASS A
Best usage of waters: Source of water supply for drinking, culinary or food processing
purposes and any other usages.
Conditions related to best usage; The W4ters, if subjected to approved treatment equal
to coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection* with additional treatment if neces-
sary to reduce naturally present impurities, meet or will meet U. S. Public Health Service
Drinking Water Standards and are or will be considered safe and satisfactory for drinking
water purposes.
Quality Standards for Class A Waters
Items
1. Floating solids; scctleable solids;
sludge deposits.
Specifications
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture with the wastes discharged
thereto.
2. Sewage or waste effluents.
None which are not effectively disinfected.
3. Odor producing substances contained in
sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes.
4- Phenolic compounds,
5* pH*
The waters after opportunity for reasonable
dilution and mixture with the wastes dis-
charged thereto shall not have an increased
threshold odor number greater than 8f due to
such added wastes.
Not greater than 5 parts per billion (Phenol),
Range between 6.3 and 8.5.
57
-------
6* Dissolved Oxygen
7. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious substances^
colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
For trout waters, not less than 5,0 parts
per million; for non-trout waters, not less
than 4.0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other sub*
stances or wastes in .sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to be injurious to
fish life, make the waters unsafe or unsuit-
able as a source of water supply for drink-
ing, culinary or foud processing purposes or
impair the waters for any other best usage as
determined for the specific waters which are
assigned to this class,
NOTE: Refer to Notes 1 and 2 under Class AA, which are also applicable to Class A
standards*
CLASS B
Best usage of waters; Bathing and any other usages except as source of water supply
for drinking, culinary or food processing purposes.
Quality Standards for Class B Waters
Items
1, Floating solids; settleable solids;
sludge deposits*
2. Sewage or wastes effluents*
4. Dissolved oxygen,
5. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious substances,
colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
Specification s
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture ^ith the wastes discharged
thereto.
None which are noc effectively disinfected.
Range between 6.5 and 8,5-
For trout waters, not less than 5fcQ/ parts
per million; for non-trout waters, not less
than 4,0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other sub-
stances or wastes in sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to be injurious to
fish life, make the waters unsafe or unsuit-
able for bathing or impair the waters for any
other best usage as determined for the specif*
ic waters which are assigned to this class.
NOTE: Refer to Note No. 2 under Class A A, which is also applicable to Class B standards,
CLASS C
Best usage of waters: Fishing and any other usages except for bathing or as source
of water supply for drinking, culinary or food processing purposes.
58
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Quality Standards for Class C waters
Items
L Floating solids; settleable solids;
sludge deposits.
Specifications
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble co sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture with rhe wastes discharged
thereto.
Range between 6.5 and 8.5.
For trout waters, not less than 5.0 parts per
million; for non-trout waters, not less than
4,0 parts per million*
None alone or in combination with other sub-
stances or wastes in sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to be injurious to
fish life or impair the waters for any other
best usage as determined for the specific
waters which are assigned to this class*
NOTE: Refer to Note No, 2 under Class AAt which is also applicable to Class C standards.
2. pH.
3- Dissolved oxygen.
4. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious substances,
colored or other wastes or heated liquids*
CLASS D
Best usage of waters: Agricultural or soured of industrial cooling or process water
supply and any other usage except for fishing, bathing or as source of water supply for
drinking, culinary or food processing purposes*
Conditions related to best usage: The waters will be suitable for fish survival; the
waters without treatment and except for natural impurities which may be present will be
satisfactory for agricultural usages or for industrial process cooling water; and with special
treatment as may be needed under each particular circumstance, will be satisfactory for
other industrial processes-
Quality Standards for Class D Waters
Items
1. Floating solids; settleable solids;
sludge deposits*
2. pH.
3. Dissolved oxygen.
Specifications
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture with the wastes discharged
thereto.
Range between 6.0 and 9.5-
Not less than 3.0 parts per million.
59
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4. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious substances, None alone or in combination with other sub-
colored or other wastes, or heated liquids, stances or wastes in sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to prevent fish sur-
vival or impair the waters for agricultural
purposes or any other best usage as deter-
mined for the specific waters which are as-
signed to this class.
NOTE: Refer to Mote No. 2 under Class AA, which is also applicable to Class D standards.
CLASS E
Best usage of waters; Sewage or industrial wastes or other wastes disposal and trans-
portation or any other usages except agricultural, source of industrial cooling or process
water sunply, fishing, bathing, or source of water supply for drinking, culinary or food
processing purposes.
Quality Standards for Class E Waters
Items
1. Floating solids; settleable solids; oil;
sludge deposits*
2. pH.
3» Dissolved oxygen,
4* Odor producing substances.
Specifications
None attributable to sewage, industrial wastes
or other wastes in sufficient amounts to
interfere with navigation or cause a public
nuisance as defined by the Penal Law,
Not lower than 3.0*
Sufficient dissolved oxygen to prevent odor
nuisances due to anaerobic decomposition
unless other effective means are used to
control odors*
*
None in sufficient amounts to cause a public
nuisance as defined by the Penal Law.
CLASS F
Best usage of waters: Sewage or industrial wastes or other wastes disposal.
Quality Standards for Class F Waters
Items Specifications
1. Floating solids; settleable solids; oil; None attributable to sewage, industrial
sludge deposits, wastes or other wastes in sufficient amounts
to cause a public nuisance as defined by
the Penal Law.
2. Dissolved oxygen. Sufficient dissolved oxygen to prevent odor
nuisances due to anaerobic decomposition
unless other effective means are used to
control odors,
3. Odor producing substances* None in sufficient amounts to cause a public
nuisance as defined by the Penal Law.
60
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4, Classes and Standards For Tidal Salt Waters
CLASS SA
Best usage of waters; Shellfishing for market purposes and any other usages.
Quality Standards for Class SA Waters
//ems
]. Floating solids; settleable solids; oil;
sludge deposits-
2. Garbage, cinders,. ashes, oils, sludge or
other refuse.
3. Sewage or waste effluents*
4. Dissolved oxygen*
5. Toxic wastes, deleterious substances,
colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
6. Organisms of Co I i form group*
industrial
Specifications
None attributable to sewage,
wastes or other wastes.
None in any waters of the Marine District
as defined by State Conservation Law,
None which are not effectively disinfected.
Not less than 5.0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other sub-
stances or wastes in sufficient amounts or
at such temperatures as to be injurious to
edible fish or shellfish or the culture or
propagation thereof, or which in any manner
shall adversely affect the flavor, color, odor
or sanitary condition thereof or impair the
waters for anyother best usage as determined
for the specific waters which are assigned
to this class.
The median MPN value in any series of
samples representative of waters in the
shellfish growing area shall not be in excess
of 70 per 100 milliliters*
CLASS SB
Best usage of waters; Bathing and any other usages except shellfishing for market
purposes.
Items
Quality Standards (or Class SB Waters
1, Floating solids; settleable solids; oil;
sludge deposits,
2* Garbage, cinders, ashes, oils, sludge
or other refuse*
3* Sewage or waste effluents.
4. Dissolved oxygen*
5, Toxic wastes, deleterious substances,
Colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
Specifications
None attributable to sewage,
wastes or other wastes.
industrial
None in any waters of the Marine District
as defined by State Conservation Law.
None which are not effectively disinfected.
Not less than 5.0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other
substances or wastes in sufficient amounts
or at such temperatures as to be injurious
to edible fish or shellfish or the culture ot
propagation thereof, or which in any manner
shall adversely affect the flavor, color,
7B7-603 0-65—5
61
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odor or sanitary condition thereof; and other-
wise none in sufficient amounts to make the
waters unsafe or unsuitable for bathing
or impair the waters for any other best usage
as determined for the specific waters which
are assigned to this class,
CLASS SC
Best usage of waters: Fishing and any other usages except bathing or shellfishing for
market purposes*
Quality Standards for class SC Waters
Specifications
Items
1# Floating solids; settleable solids;
sludge deposits.
2. Garbage, cinders, ashes, oils, sludge
or other refuse*
3. Dissolved oxygen*
4. Toxic wastes,oil,deleterious substances,
colored or other wastes or heated liquids.
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture with the wastes discharged
thereto.
None in any waters of the Marine District
as defined by State Conservation Law,
Not less than 5,0 parts per million.
None alone or in combination with other
substances or wastes in sufficient amounts
or at such temperatures as to be injurious to
edible fish or shellfish or the culture or
propagation thereof, or which in any manner
shall adversely affect the flavor, color, odor
or sanitaiy condition thereof or impair the
waters for any other best usage as determin-
ed for the specific waters which are assign-
ed to this class.
CLASS SD
Best usage of waters; Any usages except fishing, bathing, or sheilfishing for market
purposes.
Quality Standards for Class SD Waters
Itejns
1. Floating solids; settleable solids;
sludge deposits.
2- Garbage, cinders, ashes, oils, sludge
or other refuse,
3« Dissolved oxygen*
Specifications
None which are readily visible and attributa-
ble to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the
amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for reasonable dilu-
tion and mixture with the wastes discharged
thereto*
None in any waters of the Marine District
as defined by Stare Conservation Law.
Not less than 3,0 parts per million*
62
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4, Toxic ^vasces^ilj deleterious substances^ None alone or in combination with other sub-
colored or other wastes, stances or wastes in sufficient amounts to
prevent survival of fish life or impair the
waters for any other best usage as deter-
mined for the specific waters which are as-
signed to this class*
63
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CLASS I
Best usage of waters: Fishing and any other usages except bathing
or shellfishing for market purposes.
Quality Standards for Class I Waters
Items
1. Floating solids; settleable
solids; sludge deposits.
2.
Garbage, cinders, ashes, oils,
sludge, or other refuse.
3. Sewage or waste effluents.
4. Dissolved oxygen.
5. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious
substances, colored or other
wastes, or heated liquids.
Specifications
None which are readily visible and
attributable to sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes or which
deleteriously increase the amounts
of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for rea-
sonable dilution and mixture with
the wastes discharged thereto.
None in any waters of the Marine
District as defined by State Con-
servation Law,
Effective disinfection if required
by Interstate Sanitation Commission,
An average of not less than 50
percent saturation during any week
of the year, but not less than 3.0
parts per million at any time.
None alone or in combination with
other substances or wastes in suf-
ficient amounts to be injurious to
edible fish and shellfish, or the
culture or propagation thereof, or
which shall in any manner affect the
flavor, color, odor, or sanitary con>
dition of such fish or shellfish so
as to injuriously affect the sale
thereof, or which shall cause any
injury to the public and private
shellfisheries of this state; and
otherwise none in sufficient amounts
to impair the waters for any other
best usage as determined for the
specific waters which are assigned
to this class.
64
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CLASS II
Best usage of waters: All waters not primarily for recreational
purposes, shellfish culture or the development of fish life.
Quality Standards for Class II Waters
Items
1. Floating solids; settleable
solids; sludge deposits.
2. Garbage, cinders, ashes, oils,
sludge, or other refuse.
3. Dissolved oxygen.
4. Toxic wastes, oil, deleterious
substances, colored or other
wastes.
Specifications
None which are readily visible and
attributable to sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes or which
deleteriously increase the amounts
of these constituents in receiving
waters after opportunity for rea-
sonable dilution and mixture with
the wastes discharged thereto.
None in any waters of the Marine
District as defined by State Con-
servation Law.
An average of not less than 30 per-
cent saturation during any week of
the year, provided such saturation
levels insure adequate oxygen to
support fish and shellfish life at
all times.
None alone or in combination with
other substances or wastes in suf-
ficient amounts to be injurious to
edible fish and shellfish, or the
culture or propagation thereof, or
which shall in any manner affect the
flavor, color, odor, or sanitary
condition of such fish or shellfish
so as to injuriously affect the sale
thereof, or which shall cause any
injury to the public and private
shellfisheries of this state.
65
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APPENDIX B
INTERSTATE SANITATION COMMISSION
CLASSES AND QUALITY STANDARDS APPLICABLE
TO DESIGNATED WATERS
67
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Article VI and Article VII of Article 12-B of the Public Health
Law; Xri-State Compact and Interstate Sanitation Commission.
ARTICLE VI
1. It is recognized by the signatory states that, where tidal waters
are used for such varied purposes as bathing, navigation, shellfish cul-
ture the development of fish life and the disposal of wastes, no single
standard of purity is practicable in all parts of the district. In order
to attain the objects of this compact, the commission, after proper study
and after conducting public hearings upon due notice, shall group the
designated water of the district into classes. Where local conditions
shall have changed in the future to such an extent that changes in classi-
fication become necessary the commission may, after conducting public
hearings upon due notice, adopt such changes.
Two general classifications shall be used;
(1) Class "A," in which the designated water areas are expected to
be used primarily for recreational purposes, shellfish culture or the
development of fish life;
(2) Class "B," in which the designated water areas are not expected
to be used primarily for recreational purposes, shellfish culture or the
development of fish life,
ARTICLE VII
1. It is agreed between the signatory states that no sewage or other
polluting matters shall be discharged or permitted to flow into, or be
placed in, or permitted to fall or move into the tidal waters of the
district, except under the following conditions and restrictions:
(1) All sewage discharged or permitted to flow into Class "A" waters
of the district shall first have been so treated as
(a) to remove all floating solids and at least sixty per centum (607°)
of the suspended solids; and
(b) to effect a reduction of organisms of the B. Coli group (intes-
tinal bacilli) so that the probable number of such organisms shall not
exceed one per cubic centimeter in more than fifty per centum (50%) of the
samples of sewage effluent tested by the partially confirmed test; pro-
vided, however that in the case of discharge into waters used primarily
for bathing this bacterial standard need not be required except during
the bathing season; and
(c) to effect a reduction in the oxygen demand of the sewage effluent
sufficient to maintain an average dissolved oxygen content in the tidal
waters of the district and in the general vicinity of the point of dis-
charge of the sewage into those waters, at a depth of about five feet
below the surface, of not less than fifty per centum (50%) saturation
during any week of the year.
2. All sewage discharged or permitted to flow into class "B" waters
of the district shall first have been so treated as
(a) to remove all floating solids and at least ten per centum (10%)
of the suspended solids, or such additional percentage as may be reason of
69
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local conditions be necessary to avoid the formation of sludge deposits
in the class l1B11 waters of the district; and
(b) to effect a reduction in the oxygen demand of the sewage
effluent sufficient to maintain an average dissolved oxygen content in
the tidal waters of the district and in the general vicinity of the point
of discharge of the sewage into those waters, at a depth of about five
feet below the surface, of not less than thirty per centum (30%) satura-
tion during any week of the year.
70
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APPENDIX C
STATUS OP DISCHARGES IN NEW YORK STATE AREA
OF THE HUDSON RIVER AS REPORTED BY
NEW YORK STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
AUOTJST 1965
71
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HUDSON RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN
DISCHARGES REQUIRING CORRECTIVE ACTION
ALBANY COUNTY
Name
Communities and Institutions
Population Location
Cohoea (C)
Watervliet (C)
Albany (C)
Green iBland (V)
Menands (V)
Watervliet Arsenal
Ravena (V)
Altamont (V)
Bethlehem (T)
(Delmar, Elsmer S.D.)
Colonie (T)
(Latham k Maplewood)
McKownville (h)
Coeymans (H)
West Albany S. D.
Selkirk (H)
20,129
14,000
126,000
3,533
2,31^
2,424
1,365
10,000
9,500
500
854
550
100
Albany City Water Treatment Plant
Guilderland State Health Farm
Industries
Manning Paper
Alleghany-Ludlum Corp
Delaware and Hudson
Tobin Packing Co.
Mohawk Paper Co
Carr Packing Co
Behr-Manning
Cohoes
Watervliet
Albany
Oreen Island
Menands
Watervliet
Ravena
Altamont
Bethlehem
Colonie
McKownville
Coeymans
West Albany
Selkirk
Albany
Guilderland
Oreen
Island
Watervliet
Watervliet
Albany
Cohoes
Cohoes
Watervliet
Characteristics of
Discharges
Raw sewage
Untreated sewage
Untreated and inade-
quately treated
sewage
Raw sewage
Raw sewage
Plating wastes k oils
Inadequate treatment
needs secondary
Needs secondary treat
ment
Needs secondary treat
ment
Needs additional
treatment
Raw discharges
Raw discharges
Raw sewage
Raw discharges
Filter backwash
solids
Needs additional
treatment
Paper wastes (Fiber,
Color, Organic,
Solids)
Oil * discoloration
Oil
Meat processing
(Organic, Color,
Solids)
Solids, fiber,
discoloration
Blood and washings
AcidB and organics
73
-------
RENSSELAER COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name
population Location
Characteristics of
Dischargee
Troy (6) 67,492
Pleasantdale (H) 840
Hemstreet Park (h) 480
Averill Park (H) 711
Rensselaer (C) 10,506
Castleton 1,752
East Greenbush (T) 5>200
SD #1
Hoosick Palls (V) 4,023
Valley palls (V) 589
Industries
Thompson Mills
P. C. H*yck Ik Sons
Port Orange Paper Co
Loeffel Waste Oil Co
Ludlow Valve Co.
Wlnthrop-Stearns Corp.
General Aniline and Pllm Corp.
Columbia Box Board Mill
Wood Flong Corp.
Tray Raw sewage
Pleasantdale Raw sewage discharges
Hemstreet Park Raw sewage dis-
charges
Averill Park Raw sewage discharges
Rensselaer Raw sewage
Castleton Raw sewage
East Greenbush Needs secondary
treatment
Hoosick Palls Raw sewage
Valley Palls Raw sewage
Valley Palls Sanitary, Organic, fc
Color
Pelt and Fabrics
(Fibers, Colors, *
SolldB)
Paper Wastes (Fibers,
Colors, Organic,
Solids, Chemicals)
Oil sludge
Metal Processing
(Acids. Alkalies,
Solids)
Drug Manufacturing
(Chemicals, Colors,
Solids)
Dye Wastes (Solids,
Color, Chemicals)
paper Wastes (Fibers,
Colors. Organic,
Solids)
Hoosick Falls Paper Wastes (Fibers,
(~) Colors, Organic,
SolldB, Chemicals)
Rensselaer
Castletown
Nassau
Troy
Rensselaer
Rensselaer
Hoosick (T)
74
-------
GREENE COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name
Population Location Characteristics of Discharges
West Coxsackle (H) 500
New Baltimore (H) 400
Cairo (H) 500
Cementon (H) 700
Leeds (H) 200
Coxsackle (~) 2,849
Catsklll (V) 5,825
Athens (T) 1,75*
West Coxsackle Raw
New Baltimore Raw
Cairo Raw
Cementon Raw
Leeds Raw
Coxsackle Raw
Catsklll Raw
Athens Raw
discharges
discharges
discharges
discharges
discharges
sewage
Bewage
sewage
75
-------
COLOMBIA COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name
Population
Greenport (T) SD#1 1,800
E. Chatham (H) 200
Qermantown (H) 400
Valatle (T) 1,237
Philmont (V) 1*790
Hudson Training School 450
Hudson Training School 110
(Farm Colony)
Hudson (c) 11,075
Columbia Corp.
Klmberly Clark Copr.
Schweitzer Div.
Prince-High Rock Mills
Clermont Fruit Packers
Northeast Fruit Growers Coop
Location
Greenport
E. Chatham
Germantown
Valatle
Philmont
Hudson
Valatle
Hudson
Industries
Chatham
Ancram
Philmont
Clermont
Livingston
Characteristics of Discharges
Needs secondary treatment
Raw Discharges
Raw Discharges
Raw Discharges
Raw Discharges
Needs secondary treatment
Needs secondary treatment
Raw discharge
(Color, Solids, Organic)
Paper wastes
Tobacco Slurry (Color,
Solids, Organic)
BOD and discoloration
Solids and discoloration
Solids and odors
7 6
-------
ULSTER COBNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name
Chichester H.
Whittier Sewer District
Wallkill Sewer District
New Palt* Village
Saugerties Village EBP
Saugerties Village DUP
Saugerties Village PP
Kingston City
Rosendale Village
Marist Prep. School
Kerhonkson H.
Location
Shadaken (T)
Ulster fr)
Shawangunk (T)
New Pa Its (V)
Saugerties (V'
Saugerties (V
Saugerties (v
Kingston (C)
Rosendale (V)
Esopus (T)
Warwarsing (T)
Characteristics of Discharges
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Need secondary treatment
Raw discharges
Need secondary treatment
Raw discharges
Industries
Warwarsing
Rondout Paper MIIIb
Martin Cantine Coated Paper Saugerties
Co.
IttBter County TisBue Mill Saugerties
Dall Vechia * Son
Hudson Valley Apple Prod.
Hudson Valley Wine Co.
Highland
Milton
Marlboro
fT} Color, solids, turbidity
(V) Color from dye and finishing
wastes
(V) Color from dye and finishing
wastes
Solids from food processing
Solids and spent caustic
solutions
Volatiles from evaporators
787-603 0-65 -ti
77
-------
DUTCHESS COUNTY
Name
Communities and Institutions
Population Location Characteristics of Discharges
State Hospital 6,000
Matteawan Sate Hoep. 3j000
Mllbrook Village 1,260
Tivoll Village 750
Wapplnger Falls 3>500
Arlington Sewer Diet.6,155
Beacon 17,500
Poughkeepsle City 38,330
Poughkeepsle Need secondary treatment
Beacon Need secondary treatment
Milbrook Need secondary treatment
Tivoll Need secondary treatment
Wapplnger Falls Need secondary treatment
Poughkeepsle Need secondary treatment
Beacon Need secondary treatment
Poughkeepsle Need secondary treatment
Industries
Texaco Research Center
Orchard Hill Farms
DeLaval Separator
Western Lithography Co
Fishkill Discoloration from petroleum
wastes
Red Hook Septic system overflows
Poughkeepsle No present problem
Poughkeepsle Present sewage treatment
needs updating
78
-------
ORANGE COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Kane
Population Location
Ferndale Farms
Mack Brothers
Monroe laundry
Park Tissue Mills
Majestic Weaving
An. Fait Co.
National Gypsum Co.
Characteristics of
fflscHargeB
Maybrook Village
1,3*8
Highland Falls - south
500
Warwick Village
1,500
New Windsor SD 12
6,250
Highland Falls - north
4,469
Cornwall Village
2,000
Cornwall SD 1
2,500
Walden Village
4,851
Monroe Village
Newburgh City
32,000
Slate Hill
75
Florida Village
300
Amchir Sewer Co.
West Point Summer Carap
1,500
Washingtonville
800
U. S« Military Academy
Maybrook (V) Heed secondary treatment
(V)Highland Palls Heed secondary treatment
Warwick (v) Need secondary treatment
New Windsor(T) Keed secondary treatment
(V)Highland Falls Heed secondary treatment
Cornwall fvj Need secondary treatment
Cornwall (T) Need secondary treatment
Walden Need secondary treatment
Monroe (v) Need secondary treatment
Newburgh fC)
(Tj Raw Discharges
Raw Discharges
Wawyanda
Florida (V)
Wallkill (T)
West Point
Washington-
vllle (V)
West Point
Need secondary treatment
Raw Discharges
Need secondary treatment
Industries
Wallkill (T) Milky discoloration
Goshen (T) Waste treatment system
falling
Monroe (V) Grejts h discoloration
Salisbury Mills Solids, turbidity,
fibers
Firthcliffe Fabric process and dye
wastes
New Windsor C»lor from fabric process-
ing and sewage
New Windsor Discoloration and turbidity
from processing
79
-------
PUTNAM COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name Population Location Characterlstcls of
Discharges
Cold Spring Village 2,083 Cold Spring (V) Raw Discharge
80
-------
ROCKLAND COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
Name
Population Location
Characteristics of
Pischarges
Piermont Village 1,500
Rockland State Hosp.
Tappan H.
Sparkill H,
Upper Nyack Village 732
South Nyack Village 3,200
Nyack Village 5,300
Haverstraw Village 5,593
Orangetown SD 2 2,350
Letuchworth Village 4,000
N.Y.S. Rehabilitation 500
Hosp.
Sewage Treatment Plant 1,000
lona Island 50
Palisades Interstate 5,000
Park
Jewish Home for Con- 80
valescenta
Piermont (v) Pump station under con-
struction existing primary
olant to be abandoned
Orangetown (T; Deficient secondary
treatment
Orangetown (T) Raw discharges-sewers
under construction
Orangetown (T) Raw discharges-sewers
under construction
Upper Nyack (V) Weed secondary treat-
ment
South Hyack (v) Need secondary treat-
ment
Need secondary treat-
ment
Need secondary treat-
ment
Need secondary treat-
ment
Need secondary treat-
ment
(V)West Haverstraw Need secondary treat-
ment
(v) West Haverstraw Need secondary treat-
ment
Stony Point (T) Need secondary treat-
ment
Stony Point (T) Need secondary treat-
ment
Grandview (V) Present septic tank
inadequa te
Nyack (V)
Haverstraw (v)
Orangetown (T)
Haverstraw (f)
Continental Can Co., Inc.
Kay-pries Chemicals, Inc.
Elk Piece Dye Corks, Inc.
United Wire Ooods
E li s Finishing Co.
Piermont Finishing Co.
Head Textile printers
New York Trap Rock Corp.
Industries
Piermont
Stony Point
Oarnerville
Oarnerville
Oarnerville
Oarnerville
Oarnerville
H&verstraw
White water and equipment
wash-up
Dark gray discoloration
Dye wastes
Plating rinse waters
Dye rinsing Receiving
" " stream
blue dis-
coloration
If
It
Orange dis-
coloration and
turbidity
81
-------
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Communities and Institutions
name
Population Location Characteristics of Discharges
Sing Sing Prison 3/000
Peeksklll City 18,000
Yonkers STW 440,2*11
Briarcllff Manor 2 5>000
Ossining Village 2,000
Croton-on-Hudson 3,929
Irvington (v) 4,000
Tarrytown Village 9,800
North Tarrytoim Village
9,100
Ossining Village VAT
14,000
Briarcllff Manor 1 125
Franklin Roosevelt 3,000
V.A, Hospital
St. Joseph's Home 500
N.Y.S. Military and 2,400
Naval Affairs
Ossining Need secondary treatment
Peekski11 (c) " " "
Yonkers (c)
Briarcllff (V)
Ossining (V)
(V)Croton-on-Hudson"
Irvington fVj
Tarrytown (v)
(V)North Tarrytown
Ossining (V)
Briarcllff (V)
Cortlandt (T)
II
II
it
tt
M
ii
H
\t
11
H
n
ii
n
ii
ii
«
n
ii
n
tt
ii
it
rt
ri
ir
rt
Peeksklll
Cortlandt
Industries
Raw Discharge
Need secondary treatment
Refined Syrup h Sugars, Inc. Yonkers
Chev. Div. of General Motors, farrytown
Inc |
Hudson Wire Co.
Barlow Chemical Corp.
Naw York Central R.R. Co.
Standard Coated Products
Standard Brands, Inc.
Cortland Stone Co.
The Ednalite Optical Co.
Ossining
Ossining
Harmon
Buchanan
Peeksklll
Peeksklll
Peeksklll
Turbidity, color, sludge from
sewage and wastes
Color It oil from metal washing
Ii paint spraying
Plating A pickling wastes
Process wastes from production
of synthetic chemicals
Oil filter cleaning k shop
wastes
Turbidity color ft sludge from
Bewage and wastes
Color from yeast fermentation
and vinegar
Turbidity from dust control
Turbidity and oil from grinding
processes
82
-------
HEW YORK CITY
Communities and Institutions
Name Population Location Characteristics of Discharges
Manhattan: Battery 700,000 Manhattan Raw sewage
to
Harlem River 50,000 " Have screening - need secondary
treatment
83
-------
APPENDIX D
POLLUTION TRENDS IN THE HUDSON RIVER
AT A POINT
BELOW POUGHKEEPSIEv N, Y.
WATER POLLUTION SURVEILLANCE STATION NO.
85
-------
August 25, 1965
POLLUTION TRENDS IN THE HUDSON RIVER
AT A POINT
BELOW POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK
Introduction
The PHS has, since July 1958, maintained a Water Pollution
Surveillance System station in the Hudson River below Poughkeepsie.
The International Business Machines Corporation has participated in
the operation of this station. This report summarizes and evaluates
water quality data collected to date.
Hydrology
The water pollution surveillance station below Poughkeepsie is
located about 70 miles above the mouth of the Hudson River as shown
on Figure 1.
The station is located within the tidal reach of the river. The
river is affected by semidiurnal tides to Troy Lock and Dam, some 75
miles upstream from Poughkeepsie. Daily tidal ranges vary from 3 to
6-1/2 feet in New York Harbor and from 4-1/2 to 6-1/2 feet at Albany.
The Hudson River estuary has been characterized (1)* as partially
mixed where the salinity and density increase with depth. The
horizontal salinity distribution shows an increase from the head
toward the mouth at any given depth.
Flows are gaged at Green Island, just upstream from Troy Lock
and Dam. The tributary area at the gage is about 85% of that at the
pollution surveillance station. Figure 2 compares historical and
recent flows reported by the U. S, Geological Survey (2,3,4). Average
annual flows for the 13-year base period were 13,225 cfs. The figure
reveals the sustained periods of minimum flows during water years 1964
and 1965.
Water Quality
Figure 3 shows levels, variations, and trends in dissolved oxygen
concentration and saturation values. Throughout water years 1960 through
* Numbers in parentheses refer to References following Appendix D
87
-------
Figure 1
Hap of Hudson River, New York Harbor to Kingston
NEW
YORK
PUS Water
Pollution SurveillaTii
System Station
Kingston
10
r |
Pou^hkeepsiej
A
Fi
0 10
T=
Miles
CONNECTICUT
20
NEW
JERSEY
s
\
\
Long Island Sound
Newark
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
-------
Figure 2
Streamflows, Hudson River at Green Island,
Comparison of Water Years 1964 and 1965
with Prior 13 Year Record
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
-------
Figure 3
Dissolved Oxygen, Oxygen Demands, and Coliform Bacteria
Water Year
-------
1964, concentrations were generally between 6 and 12 mg/1, corresponding
to saturation values of from about 60 to 85 percent. BOD's were low,
ranging from about 0,6 to 3,"+ mg/1. There was an increasing trend in
COD which averaged 14 mg/1 in WY-196Q and 22 mg/1 in WY-1964. Geometric
means of coliform bacteria concentrations approximately doubled between
WY-1962 and WY-1964, with maximum values indicating a rather high pol-
lution level.
Figure 4 shows levels and variations in chloride, sulfate, alkalinity,
and hardness. During water years 1963 and 1964, there has been a marked
increase in chloride, moderate increases in hardness and alkalinity, and
no significant change in sulfate concentrations. Some of the increases
are probably related to the normal inverse relationship between concen-
trations of mineral constituents and flow. The relationships of these
changes to the stream flow indicates the intrusion of salt water during
low flow periods.
Figure 5 shows a comparison of recent chloride and sulfate concen-
trations with those of previous years. Chlorides began to rise in late
September 1964 when average flows had been less than 4,000 cfs for about
three months (see Figure 2). Chlorides remained high until early Decem-
ber when the flows increased. The short-term chloride variability during
the September-December period was probably related to semidiurnal and
fortnightly tides, although these data do not permit resolving the rela-
tive effects of the two tides.
Comparison of Figures 2 and 5 indicates that a similar, possibly
greater, increase in chlorides is a virtual certainty again this year
because of the longer period of even lower flows than those of 1964.
The lack of an increase in sulfates similar to that for chlorides
is noteworthy. The normal ratio of sulfate to chloride in sea water
is 0.14. The maximum chloride concentration of 605 mg/1 found on
November 25, 1964 corresponds to about 3% sea water. On this basis,
and assuming a sulfate level of 25 mg/1 in the river, a resulting sulfate
concentration of 100 mg/1 would be expected. The difference between the
expected and observed values probably reflects the reduction of sulfate
during the period of travel, measured in months, within anaerobic
bottom waters of the lower estuary,
Concentrations of minor constituents are listed in Table 1,
These are based on four composited samples collected between October
1962 and September 1964. In addition to those listed, sodium varied
from 5.9 to 52 mg/1, potassium from 0.09 to 4.0 mg/1, and fluoride
from 0,015 to 0.26 mg/1.
91
-------
Figure 4
Mineral Quality
Water Year
-------
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
50
0
SULFATE
i
-------
Table 1
OCCURRENCE OF MINOR CONSTITUENTS IN HUDSON RIVER AT POUGHKEEPSIE
October 1962-September
Average Concentration Minimum Level
Percent
Occurrence
of
Positive Samples
ug/1
of
Detectability
ug/1
Zinc
100
57
Cadmium
0
1.0
Arsenic
0
—
10
Boron
100
34-
Phosphorus
75
23
•+.0
Iron
100
58
•
Molybdenum
25
9
2.0
Manganese
75
2.1
0.8
Aluminum
100
32
Beryllium
0
-
0.03
Copper
100
11
-
Silver
0
-
0.3
Nickel
0
-
1.0
Cobalt
0
-
1.0
Lead
50
10
3.0
Chromium
75
6
3.0
Vanadium
0
-
2.0
Barium
100
26
—
Strontium
100
103
-
Figure 6 summarizes the physical and radiological quality of the
water* pH is generally between 7,0 and 7.6 with higher values in re-
cent years. Turbidity and suspended solids also showed increasing
trends during the record period, although the levels are still low.
Beta activity, particularly in the dissolved fraction, followed
the normal pattern for the conterminous United States resulting from
nuclear weapons testing (5), Strontium-90 values were also in accord
with those from other stations and well within limiting values estab-
lished by the National Council for Radiation Protection (6). Stron-
tium-90 levels observed to date are listed in Table 2*
9U
-------
60
40
20
- 0
60
40
20
0
fl.2
7.8
7.4
7.0
6,fi
100
80
60
40
20
0
100
RQ
60
¦ 40
20
0
177
.Figure 6
Physical and Radiological Quality
(legend same as Figure 3)
SUSPENDED RETA ACTIVITY
9
I960
1961 1962
Water Year
1963
1964
-------
Table 2
STRONTIUM-90 IN HUDSON RIVER BELOW POUGHKEEFSIE, NEW YORK
Picocuries per Liter
Water
Qct.-
Jan.-
April-
July-
Year
Dec.
March
June
Sept.
1959
4.5
1.1
1.0
1960
1.3
1.7
0.7
0.1
1961
0.4
0.4
0.51
0.24
1962
2,5
1.07
1.66
-
1963
3.02
m
3.81
-
1964
5.03
-
2.07
-
1965
2,03
-
Selected carbon adsorption method and grab samples have been
analysed for organic materials. To datet only samples from the low-
flow month of September have been examined* Specific identifications
of organic materials have been limited to chlorinated hydrocarbon
pesticides» Table 3 shows that dieldrin was always present. Simi-
larly t evidence of endrin, DDE» DDD, and lindane was found, tnore than
half the time. There were occasional indications of lindane and
heptachlor epoxide. DDT and heptachlor were never found. In all
cases, the concentration levels were very low.
Figure 7 shows the population levels and dominant genera of
plankton algae. Table 4 lists the genera according to the code shown
on the figure.
Figure 7 shows that plankton levels are generally low and domi-
nated by the centric diatoms Cyclottella and Mclosira. The single
high count which has been found to date was due to a bloom of
Coccochloris.
96
-------
Table 3
OCCURRENCE OF CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PESTICIDES
IN THE
HUDSON RIVER BELOW POUGHKEEPSIE
Concentrations in picograms per liter (parts per trillion)3
Dates(s)b
9/3-
10/58
9/2-
9/59
9/7-
15/60
9/11-
21/61
9/5-
17/62
9/20-
30/62
9/23
196H
Dieldrin
<1
-------
Figure 7
Plankton Algae and Dominant Genera {see text for Key to code numbers)
t 1 j 1 r
1,000
Water Year 19OT
100
© © © © © ^ © © © © © e
1 1 1 1 i -f 1 1 <——i
l,non r
100
1,000
¦1 1 1 1 1 f
Materia r 196 V —
®W0
+
Oct Ffov Dec 3an Fef> Rar fipr Ray Tun Jul Sun Sep
I .J ,-U E-J-
-------
Table 4
KEY TO GENERA OF PLANKTON ALGAE
No,
Blue-green algae
1
Anacystis (microcystis)
2
Coccochloris
Coccoid-green algae
3
Ankistrodesmus
4
Scene desrous
Centric diatoms
5
Cyclotella
6
Melosira
7
St ephanodis cus
Pennate diatoms
8
Astericnella
9
Diatoma
10
Synedra
99
-------
Summary
Examination of Water Pollution Surveillance System data for the
Hudson River below Poughkeepsie for the period from 1958 to the pre-
sent reveals the following:
Dissolved oxygen levels were generally between 6 and 12 mg/1,
BOD varied from about 0,6 to 3.4 mg/1, and COD increased to an average
of 22 mg/1 in WY-1964, Coliform bacteria levels indicate significant
pollution.
The recent drought caused large increases in chlorides during the
fall of 1964 due to sea water intrusion; this is expected to be repeated
in 1965, Concurrent increases in sulfate were not found, suggesting
that sulfate reduction took place in the lower estuary.
Surveillance for trace constituents, radioactivity, and plankton
showed levels and variations generally consistent with those for
eastern streams, A single plankton bloom due to the blue-green algae,
Coccochloris was found. Chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides were present
in all samples examined but at very low concentrations.
Figure 8 shows a further examination of coliform bacteria below
Poughkeepsie, New York.
100
-------
Seasonal Variations of Coliform Bacteria Figure 8
WATER YEARS
101
-------
REFERENCES
1, Pritchard, D.W,, Okubo,A., and Mehr, E, "A Study of the Movement
and Diffusion of an Introduced Contaminant in New York Harbor Waters,"
Tech. Rept. 31, Chesapeake Bay Institute (1962).
2, U.S. Geological Survey. "Compilation of Records of Surface Waters
of the United States, October 1950 to September I960, Part 1-B."
Water Supply Paper 1722 (1961).
3, District Chief, Water Resources Division, U, S, Geological Survey,
Albany, N,Y, Surface Water Records of New York, Annual publications
for Water Years 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964,
4, Provisional data from USGS, Albany (1965),
5* Weaver, L., Hoadley, A.W. and Baker, S. "Radioactivity in Surface
Waters of the United States, 1957-1962." Radiological Health Data,
1 (6):306-316 (1963),
6, Floyd, E.P. and Weaver, L, "Trends of Strontium-90 Levels in Surface
Waters of the United States." Radiological Health Data, 5 (8):390-394
(1964), ~
102
U.S. &OVfffHUENT PRINTING OFFl« : lHBO—7«T-*03
------- |