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Community Water Quality Monitoring Results Sparkill Creek 2011‐2016 Overview

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Community Water Quality Monitoring Results Sparkill Creek 2011‐2016 Overview COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS SPARKILL CREEK 2011‐2016 OVERVIEW Riverkeeper and the Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance have been testing the water for the fecal- indicator bacteria Enterococcus (“Entero”) since 2011. Sources of fecal contamination may include sewage infrastructure failures, sewer overflows, inadequate sewage treatment, septic system failures, agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and wildlife. Samples were collected monthly (approx. May to October) at 18 watershed locations by SCWA members and processed by Riverkeeper (2011-2015) and the Sarah Lawrence Center for the Urban River at Beczak (2016). A total of 572 samples have been analyzed since 2011. This water quality monitoring study is designed to learn about broad trends. The data can help inform choices about recreation in the creek, but cannot predict future water quality at any particular time and place. To see all the results visit www.riverkeeper.org/water-quality/citizen-data/sparkill-creek. WATERSHED SNAPSHOT These results are for non‐tidal sites only. As measured against the EPA’s recommended geometric mean (a weighted average) criterion for As measured against the Environmental Protection safe swimming: Agency’s recommended Beach Action Value for safe swimming: EPA GM threshold Sparkill Creek GM 30 746.3 93% cells/100 mL cells/100 mL of Sparkill Creek samples failed. After rainy weather: 3 Best Sites 3 Worst Sites Blauvelt‐ Tackamack Tappan‐ Moturis at Greenbush Br (#4) (#13) 98% Orangeburg‐ Piermont‐ Skating of Sparkill Creek samples failed. Tackamack trib (#3) Pond (#15) Blauvelt‐ Blauvelt Sparkill‐ Route 340 Arm tributary (#6) (#14) RIVERKEEPER COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM 2016 SPARKILL CREEK DATA SUMMARY DAY‐TO‐DAY WATER QUALITY Riverkeeper assesses water quality using the EPA’s science-based 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria, which define recommended concentrations of Entero per 100 ml of water (“Entero count”) consistent with “primary contact recreation.” This includes swimming, bathing, water play by children and other activities where ingestion of water or full immersion of the body is likely. In this figure, the red bar shows the percentage of samples at each sampling site that have exceeded an Entero count of 60, the EPA-recommended Beach Action Value. Above this level, the EPA recommends public notification, and possible temporary beach closure. PERCENTAGE OF SPARKILL CREEK SAMPLES EXCEEDING EPA’S BEACH ACTION VALUE, 2011‐2016 1. BLAUVELT‐ MARSICO COURT 88% 12% 2. BLAUVELT‐ SPRUCE STREET 100% 3. ORANGEBURG‐ TACKAMACK TRIBUTARY 88% 13% 4. BLAUVELT‐ TACKAMACK TRIB AT GREENBUSH RD BRIDGE 76% 24% 5. BLAUVELT‐ CLAUSLAND ARM 94% 6% 6. BLAUVELT‐ BLAUVELT ARM TRIBUTARY 97% 3% 7. ORANGEBURG‐ ROUTE 303/340 94% 6% 8. ORANGEBURG‐ ORANGETOWN STP 94% 6% 9. TAPPAN‐ ROUTE 303 94% 6% 10. TAPPAN‐ OAK TREE ROAD 91% 9% 11. TAPPAN‐ STATE LINE 94% 6% 12. ROCKLEIGH, NJ‐ SPARKILL BROOK TRIBUTARY 94% 6% 13. TAPPAN‐ MOTURIS 97% 3% 14. SPARKILL‐ ROUTE 340 97% 3% 15. PIERMONT‐ SKATING POND 97% 3% 16. PIERMONT‐ OLD DRAW BRIDGE 97% 3% 17. PIERMONT PIER 31% 69% 18. PIERMONT‐ PIRELLI PARK 36% 64% % Beach Advisory (>60 cells/100 mL) % Acceptable (0‐60 cells/100 mL) WHAT DO THESE RESULTS MEAN? Comparing sample results to the BAV gives information about day‐to‐day water quality. Nearly all the times we sampled, at nearly all locations, water quality was unsafe for swimming and other primary contact. There was not much variation among sites in the watershed. PAGE 2 RIVERKEEPER COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM 2016 SPARKILL CREEK DATA SUMMARY WATER QUALITY OVER TIME The Geometric Mean (GM) describes the maximum allowable average Entero count to protect swimmers’ health, as measured over time at any given location. Water at a site with a high GM has a high average level of contamination. To avoid exposure to chronic contamination, the GM, a weighted average, should not exceed 30. EPA recommends weekly sampling. Over time, monthly sampling should reveal similar information. If a site’s GM exceeds 30, steps should be taken to reduce contamination. GEOMETRIC MEANS AT SPARKILL CREEK SAMPLING LOCATIONS, 2011‐2016 1600 1400 MOTURIS ROUTE 340 mL) 1200 ORANGETOWN STP ROUTE 303/340 1000 SPRUCE ST STATE LINE OAK TREE RD OAK TREE ROUTE 303 OLD DRAW BRIDGE (cells/100 800 SKATING POND CLAUSLAND ARM MARSICO CT Geomean 600 SPARKILL BROOK BLAUVELT ARM Count 400 TACKAMACK TRIB Entero 200 TACKAMACK AT GREENBUSH PIRELLI PARK PIERMONT PIER 0 8 6 4 2 ‐1 ‐3 Miles Upstream from Mouth Main Stem Sites (Tidal Sites Filled In Blue) Tributary Sites EPA GM Criterion WHAT DO THESE RESULTS MEAN? The GM gives us information about long‐term water quality, and highlights more variation than the day‐to‐day BAV threshold results (page 2). At most Sparkill sites, GMs were 20 to 50 times EPA’s recommended threshold. Most tributaries we sampled in the Sparkill Creek watershed were less contaminated than the main stem of the creek. The high GM at the Old Draw Bridge, in contrast to low GMs in the Hudson near the Sparkill’s mouth, shows that tidal inflow above Piermont Marsh does not counteract watershed inputs of fecal contamination. PAGE 3 RIVERKEEPER COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM 2016 SPARKILL CREEK DATA SUMMARY HOW DOES STORMWATER AFFECT WATER QUALITY? In combined sewer systems, heavy rains trigger releases of untreated sewage directly into waterways. Even in systems where stormwater and wastewater are separated by design, leaks and cross-connections lead to stormwater infiltration into the wastewater system. The increased flows lead to infrastructure failures during storms. Stormwater runoff from streets, feedlots and farms, and areas with failed septic systems can also deliver fecal contamination to streams. This figure shows Entero GMs after dry (less than 0.25 inches of rain in the 4 days leading up to sampling) and rainy weather (0.25 inches or more). GEOMETRIC MEANS IN SPARKILL CREEK DURING WET AND DRY WEATHER, 2011‐2016 1. BLAUVELT‐ MARSICO COURT 381 763 1247 2. BLAUVELT‐ SPRUCE STREET 584 599 3. ORANGEBURG‐ TACKAMACK TRIBUTARY 146 306 4. BLAUVELT‐ TACKAMACK TRIB AT GREENBUSH RD BRIDGE 74 930 5. BLAUVELT‐ CLAUSLAND ARM 346 832 6. BLAUVELT‐ BLAUVELT ARM TRIBUTARY 279 1320 7. ORANGEBURG‐ ROUTE 303/340 605 1552 8. ORANGEBURG‐ ORANGETOWN STP 544 1341 9. TAPPAN‐ ROUTE 303 469 1285 10. TAPPAN‐ OAK TREE ROAD 538 1420 11. TAPPAN‐ STATE LINE 488 1459 12. ROCKLEIGH, NJ‐ SPARKILL BROOK TRIBUTARY 695 1912 13. TAPPAN‐ MOTURIS 1146 1713 14. SPARKILL‐ ROUTE 340 707 1715 15. PIERMONT‐ SKATING POND 832 1109 16. PIERMONT‐ OLD DRAW BRIDGE 616 14 17. PIERMONT PIER 44 37 18. PIERMONT‐ PIRELLI PARK 20 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Entero Count Geomean Wet Weather (0.25"+ rain) Dry Weather (<0.25" rain) EPA Geomean Criterion WHAT DO THESE RESULTS MEAN? Rainfall increased Entero counts in our samples, but even if there were no rain, all sites in the Sparkill Creek would exceed EPA’s safe‐swimming criterion. Sites with the largest difference between dry and wet weather water quality are places where stormwater controls would have the biggest impact on fecal contamination, but stormwater is not the only source of contamination. PAGE 4 RIVERKEEPER COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM 2016 SPARKILL CREEK DATA SUMMARY HOW DOES THE SPARKILL COMPARE WITH OTHER HUDSON TRIBUTARIES? Overall, our sampling data shows that water quality in tributaries is worse than in the Hudson River Estuary, and that tributaries are contamination sources to the Hudson. Average water quality varies among tributary watersheds. The figure below shows the Geometric Mean (weighted long-term average) of all sample results for all non-tidal sites within each watershed studied to date. Date ranges vary. GEOMETRIC MEANS OF ALL NON‐TIDAL SITES IN ALL TRIBUTARIES SAMPLED, 2010‐2016 UPPER HUDSON (ABOVE TROY DAM) 20.8 MOHAWK RIVER 24.0 CATSKILL CREEK 34.8 ROELIFF JANSEN KILL 24.8 SAWYER KILL 234.9 ESOPUS CREEK 36.1 SAW KILL 61.3 RONDOUT CREEK 128.6 WALLKILL RIVER 380.7 QUASSAICK CREEK 320.9 POCANTICO RIVER 347.2 SPARKILL CREEK 746.3 SAW MILL RIVER 362.6 0 200 400 600 800 Entero Count Geomean of Entero Counts EPA Geomean Criterion All samples were processed by Riverkeeper except as follows. Mohawk River and Upper Hudson samples processed by SUNY Cobleskill and Riverkeeper. Roeliff Jansen Kill and Saw Kill samples processed by Bard Water Lab. Quassaick Creek samples processed by EnviroTest. Pocantico River (2016), Sparkill Creek (2016), and Saw Mill River samples processed by The Sarah Lawrence College Center for the Urban River at Beczak. When comparing among all watersheds sampled, the Sparkill Creek ranks: worst worst 2nd in terms of in terms of worst in terms of Overall GM Dry Weather GM Rain Response PAGE 5 RIVERKEEPER COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY MONITORING PROGRAM 2016 SPARKILL CREEK DATA SUMMARY WHAT DO THESE RESULTS MEAN? The Sparkill Creek has the highest overall level of contamination (as measured by the weighted average of samples, the GM) that Riverkeeper and partners have measured, and the lower Sparkill Creek is on NYS DEC’s Impaired Waterbodies List. Individual sites exceeded EPA’s day‐to‐day criterion nearly all the time, and exceeded the GM criterion for long‐term water quality by orders of magnitude. Where contamination is present in dry weather, sources should be identified; and overall, actions to reduce stormwater runoff should be a long‐term priority. COMMUNITY SCIENCE HAS IMPACT In 2015, Riverkeeper submitted community monitoring data to the NYS DEC, to ensure that it factored into the state’s water quality assessment and regulation. These data will help DEC determine where to target its routine monitoring of diverse water quality parameters, set to take place in the Hudson Valley in 2017-2018. The community science data also resulted in new listings of fecal contamination in the statewide water quality inventory, with more listings yet to be released.
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