April 1, 1999 - June 30, 2002

Report date: July 2002

Hudson Basin River Watch (HBRW) has committed itself over the past three years to meeting the goals of the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan and has worked diligently to:

1. Supplement existing citizen and school-based volunteer monitoring programs and to increase participation in these programs throughout the Hudson River estuary.
2. Provide quality data to NYS DEC Division of Water.
3. Inform the public of results and recommendations from water quality monitoring.
4. Create a diverse community of volunteers.
5. Educate citizens through field experience in water quality management issues and concerns.

The following is a final report and summary of HBRW's accomplishments and a "State of the Watershed" for the Lower Hudson, Catskill, Mid-Hudson, and Capitol District Regions.

Volunteer Participants/Training
Since the project start date, HBRW has expanded the school-based volunteer monitoring program from 20 to 100 school groups, involving more than 15,000 students, teachers, volunteers, and water resource professionals yearly. It has conducted 45 training sessions for over 650 teachers and volunteers in water quality monitoring (30 estuary and 14 NYC). Five HBRW newsletters with project news and volunteer monitoring reports have been published with the last three available on the HBRW website.

Westchester/Rockland County Region: HBRW provided 6 water quality monitoring training sessions, including Leaf Pack Experiments, for over 50 teachers. Additionally, HBRW planned and presented 7 student symposia and over 60 class presentations, reaching over 4500 students. HBRW also participated in over 10 watershed festivals, providing interactive educational exhibits or water quality program materials.
HBRW, in association with the Westchester County Department of Planning, formed the Westchester County Watershed Education Program (WEP). WEP serves as a central resource for watershed education programs in the region, providing a resource library and technical support to environmental groups, advocates and educators who monitor water quality and the region's biodiversity.
HBRW has developed partnerships with key organizations supporting school and citizen monitoring efforts, including the Westchester County Department of Planning, Scenic Hudson, The Beczak Environmental Education Center, the LIFE nature center, the Greenburgh Nature Center, Hudson Riverama Advisory Board, Scenic Hudson RiverSweep Advisory Committee, Croton Plan Committee, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Sparkill Conservancy, Committee on NonPoint Source Pollution in Long Island Sound, Bronx River Partnership for Parks Education Committee, Watershed Education Program Steering Committee, Symposium Planning Committee, and Watershed Improvement Network.
Catskill Region: HBRW provided 6 training sessions on water quality monitoring, watershed inventory, Leaf Pack Experiments, river study design, and watershed education activities for participants in the Catskill region. The purpose of these training sessions was to recruit new River Watch participants and provide these new participants with tools and knowledge necessary to start river monitoring and watershed stewardship projects. Forty- four resource professionals, 24 AmeriCorps members, 12 teachers, and 11 citizen volunteers attended these sessions. HBRW provided on-going support and coordination services to the newly trained participants listed above, as well as to 18 other schools.
HBRW was instrumental in the formation of the Sawkill Watershed Alliance in Woodstock, Ulster County, in 2001, and continues to support it.
HBRW developed partnerships with key organizations supporting school and citizen monitoring efforts, including Ashokan Field Campus, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Catskill Outdoor Education Corps, Delaware County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Frost Valley YMCA, Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District, Mountaintop Arboretum, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYS DEC, Olive Natural Heritage Society, Riverkeeper, Sawkill Watershed Alliance, Stroud Water Research Center, Trout Unlimited, Ulster County Community College, Youth Resource Development Corporation and Americorps Program.

Mid-Hudson Region: HBRW provided 7 training sessions on water quality monitoring, watershed inventory, and river study design. Fifty-one teachers, 32 AmeriCorps members, 27 citizen volunteers and 6 resource professionals attended the sessions. HBRW provided on-going support and coordination services to these newly trained participants, as well as to approximately 20 schools and 1 citizen group already engaged in water quality monitoring and watershed studies before the contract period started.
HBRW developed partnerships with key organizations supporting school and citizen monitoring efforts, including Dutchess County and Ulster County Environmental Management Councils, Dutchess County BOCES, Orange County and Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Dutchess Land Conservancy, Scenic Hudson, Black Roack Forest, Clearwater, Wallkill River Task Force, Riverkeeper, NYS DEC Stonykill Farm Environmental Education Center, Youth Resource Development Corporation AmeriCorps Program, and Student Conservation Association Hudson Valley AmeriCorps Program.

Capital Region: HBRW provided 7 water quality training sessions for approximately 100 teachers, county and state resource professionals, citizen volunteers, and members of environmental organizations. The scope of these sessions included instruction in the design and implementation of a stream monitoring program, and in performing stream-monitoring studies using the HBRW Rapid Bioassessment Program. During one of these sessions teachers produced a resource manual for teachers entitled, "Stream Monitoring in the Classroom: Integration of Ecology and Environmental Science Standards into the Living Environment Curriculum" (to obtain a copy contact the Greater Capitol Region Teacher Center). Five of these sessions also resulted in the production of written rapid bioassessment reports. HBRW provided on-going support and coordination services to the newly trained participants listed above.
HBRW initiated, with the NYS DEC, the establishment of a pictorial web key that is currently posted on the DEC web site. The web key has been widely utilized by citizens, environmental organizations and schools to identify macroinvertebrates used for water quality determination as well as the Stroud Water Research Center.
HBRW has published and mailed the RiverWatcher, a biannual newsletter, to over 800 recipients. Downloadable electronic versions are available on the HBRW web site.
HBRW developed partnerships with key organizations supporting school and citizen monitoring efforts, including Schenectady County Community College, Capital Region Boces, the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center, Battenkill Conservancy, Paul F-Brandwein Summer Leadership Institute, NYS DEC Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, NYS DEC Pack Demonstration Forest and the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

Equipment Distribution
HBRW purchased, through NYS DEC, and distributed 10 water quality-sampling kits in 15 Hudson Estuary regions to qualified and trained volunteers. It also distributed 30 Leaf Pack Experiment kits to NYC volunteers. Regional coordinators and AmeriCorps member assistants use this equipment with teachers, students and citizen volunteers in classrooms and streams.

Protocol/Controls
HBRW developed, published, distributed, and continues to revise and update the Hudson Basin River Watch Guidance Document. This document provides detailed instructions on standard protocols for water quality monitoring. It covers physical, chemical and biological indicators. The Guidance Document also provides detailed instructions on how to design a river study and guidance on analyzing and utilizing data. Through the Guidance Document, HBRW has been able to standardize water quality data gathered by student and citizen volunteers.
HBRW, the Community Science Institute, and the NYS DEC Division of Water continue to develop and field test the draft quality assurance and control guidance document with volunteer groups in the NYC watershed and the Mid-Hudson Valley. Field tests continue in the Catskills and Kingston.
HBRW has developed a rapid bioassessment program with quality assurance/quality control.
HBRW also developed and published a handbook for AmeriCorps members in the Mid-Hudson area to use when supporting schools in watershed education and river monitoring efforts.

Data
The HBRW Website was designed and launched with the capacity to incorporate an interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) database. It is currently being developed with assistance from Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESEN), Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, and Westchester Department of Planning.
The most notable challenge is data entry, reporting, and use. HBRW program directors and regional coordinators have discovered over time that volunteers are eager to get outside and into the streams, but do not have the requisite follow-through to report their carefully collected date as useful information via the HBRW website database. We are tackling this challenge with a shift in emphasis from education to stewardship over the next three years, and to that end, we have brought together a new collaboration of Hudson River activists and watershed groups.

Annual Clean Water Gathering
HBRW has presented eight Clean Water Congresses, annually reaching over 700 people in the Hudson River Estuary communities.
HBRW provided three Student Watershed Congresses for the Mid-Hudson schools at the Norrie Point Environmental Center in Staatsburg, NY, during the contract period (1999, 2000, 2001). The location was chosen because it sits right on the Hudson River Estuary. The inspiring presence of the Hudson at the Congress gave students a direct, visible message about the importance and connection of their work to the estuary. Each year approximately 100 students from 12 schools attended the Congress. They presented their river data and projects to their peers, met with resource professionals to analyze their data and learn about watershed protection, and met with representatives from their local towns to brainstorm ideas for watershed stewardship projects they could implement in their local communities.
HBRW has been a planning partner for six student symposiums in Westchester County, where students gathered to discuss water quality and participate in land use decision-making. Each year a hypothetical development proposal is created based on current land use trends. Students are challenged to balance development, community character and environmental preservation. The day's activities include a mock land use hearing, environmental fact-finding fair and student-based water quality research presentations. The culminating activity is the creation of a development proposal that protects our water resources while meeting community economic needs.
HBRW provided three Clean Water Congresses at the NYS Museum in Albany during the contract period (1999, 2000, 2001), each attended by approximately 200 students, teachers, citizens and government officials. An average of 12-15 schools have participated each year, providing poster displays on their stream monitoring programs and oral arguments on current environmental issues, such as whether the EPA should order dredging of PCBs in the Hudson River and the adequacy of current NYS water quality standards. Students began writing abstracts for their presentations in 2001, which are available on the HBRW web site.

State of the Watershed

Lower Hudson Watershed

Data on the Sparkill in Rockland County indicate that it is moderately impacted, a finding supported by data collected by other organizations over the past decade. Nutrients and metals from the urban area are causing changes in both the fish and benthic invertebrate community. Data collected was submitted to the NYS DEC, but the Sparkill has not been added to the Impaired Waters List (303d).

Catskill Region Watershed

Student and citizen volunteers collected data on the following tributaries to the Hudson Estuary: Beer Kill, Sandburg Creek, and Sawkill Creek in Ulster County; the Basic Creek, Catskill Creek, and Plattekill Creek in Greene County; and the Schoharie Creek (below dam) in Schoharie County.

Student and citizen volunteers collected data on the following streams in the NYC Watershed (Hudson Basin): Batavia Kill in Greene County, an un-named tributary to Chestnut Creek in Sullivan County; Esopus Creek and Stony Clove Creek in Ulster County; and the Manor Kill and Schoharie Creek in Schoharie County.

Student and citizen volunteers collected data on the following streams in the NYC Watershed (Delaware Basin): Dry Brook, East Branch Delaware, and West Branch Delaware in Delaware County.

In general, Catskill Region streams are in 'good' to 'excellent' health. This is not a surprise since the majority of the Catskill Region is situated within the NYC Watershed - a 1,800-mi2 area that provides unfiltered surface water for 9 million downstate residents. The two most evident concerns in the city watershed are sedimentation in the Esopus and Stony Clove Creeks (Hudson basin) and phosphorous loading from agriculture in the West Branch Delaware (Delaware basin). Most streams showed some evidence of human impact; a handful of streams are in what would be considered pristine condition (using chemistry and BMIs): The un-named tributary to Chestnut Creek at Tri-Valley School in Grahamsville, Dry Brook at Arkville, and the headwaters of the West Branch Delaware near Stamford.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate (BMI) analysis indicated a level of "non-impacted" for the majority of streams, "slightly impacted" for many and "moderately impacted" for only two - Schoharie Creek just below the Gilboa Dam and at the site near headwaters of Plattekill Creek. Due in part to the mountainous topography of the Catskill region, high embeddedness (>40%) was only reported at two sites, the Esopus Creek at Boiceville and the East Branch Delaware at Roxbury. It is likely these factors are affecting the BMI community. Very few macroinvertebrates (both diversity and density) were found at Boiceville. This may have been secondary to the heavy rainfall the basin received prior to sampling (69 year median was 800cfs, we had 1,440cfs); many of the macroinvertebrates may have been washed away. The Stony Clove, if not for its steep gradient, would likely have an embeddedness problem due to the erosion of clay banks upstream. The site with the worst riparian habitat, the Sawkill Creek in the heart of Woodstock, which was classified as "fair-poor" by the Sawkill Watershed Alliance, actually had a "non-impacted" BMI community.

Dissolved oxygen levels are not a problem in the Catskill Region. Again, the high stream gradients and forested riparian areas common throughout the Catskills keep oxygen levels in the range of 9-10ppm. Lowest DO readings were recorded on the East Branch Delaware in Roxbury at 8.1ppm in 2000 and 8.4ppm in 2001. Percent saturation levels ranged from 75% - 110%, with most levels exceeding 90%. The lowest saturation percentages (~80%) were on the Beer Kill in Ellenville and East Branch Delaware in Roxbury. The stream temperature was low so another factor is likely contributing to depleted oxygen levels. The stream flows through the middle of Ellenville just upstream of the sampling site. It is likely that organic pollution from human sewage or detergents is contributing to this problem.

Only a handful of monitoring groups in the Catskill Region sample for nitrate-nitrogen and/or orthophosphate. Nitrate-nitrogen levels do not seem to be a problem in any streams in the Catskill Region. The limiting nutrient in freshwater, orthophosphate has not been extensively monitored. Some testing was conducted at two sites (Roxbury and Margaretville) on the East Branch Delaware and all tests came out 0mg/L. Phosphorous loading is a concern for the NYC Watershed in the West Branch Delaware basin - we will begin testing for it there this year.

No pH results showed any problems. One of the lowest pH levels was the Beer Kill in Ellenville. This is to be expected - the stream is appropriately named as it has an amber tint to it seemingly due to the conifer stands through which it flows upstream of the site. The decomposition of needles from hemlock and pine contain tannic acid, thus lowering pH and giving the stream its color. Acid precipitation is certainly a concern for some headwater streams in the Catskills as pH levels in the East and West Branches of the Neversink have been recorded (not by HBRW) < 5.0. For the most part, however, the geology of the Catskills (sandstone and shale bedrock) has a high buffering capacity so the acid precipitation is nearly neutralized by the time groundwater reaches the streams.

A Sampling of Results of Volunteer Efforts in the Catskill Region

All data collected in 2001-2002 will be sent to the NYSDEC for use as they see fit. All 2001-2002 data within the NYC Watershed will be sent to the NYCDEP for use as they see fit.

Data collected by the Sawkill Watershed Alliance was used in presentations to all of the townships in the Sawkill Watershed - Woodstock, Saugerties, Kingston, and Ulster. The purpose was to inform local officials that water quality information is out there and at their disposal if needed.

Data collected by Onteora Central School, South Kortright Central School, and Margaretville Central School was used in the "Pilot Project". This project, administered by the Community Science Institute, attempts to assess the credibility of volunteer-collected water quality data in the NYC Watershed by testing various QA/QC procedures.

Mid-Hudson Watershed

Student and citizen volunteers collected data on the following tributaries to the Hudson Estuary: Wappinger Creek, Hunter Brook, Fishkill Creek, Sprout Creek, Sawkill Creek, Landsmankill Creek, Crum Elbow Creek, and Fallkill Creek in Dutchess County; Wallkill River, Shawangunk Kill, Dwaar Kill, Waywayanda Creek, Canterbury Creek, Moodna Creek, and Quassaick Creek in Orange County; Black Creek, Pancake Hollow Brook, Sawkill Creek, Lower Esopus Creek, Wallkill River, and Shawangunk Kill in Ulster County; Valatiekill, Roeliff Jansenkill and Kleinkill in Columbia County. In general, Mid-Hudson tributaries are in fairly good health except for sections that flow through heavily urbanized areas (Fallkill Creek in Poughkeepsie, Quassaick Creek in Newburgh). However, all tributaries showed some evidence of human impact; none are in what would be considered a pristine condition.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate (BMI) analysis indicated a level of "slight impact" for the majority of tributaries, and "moderate impact" in areas of the Quassaick Creek, Kleinkill Creek, Lower Esopus Creek, and Wallkill River. A level of "severe impact" occurred in urban sections of the Fallkill Creek. There has been a general trend of increasing Hydropsychidae caddisflies (Common Netspinners); in many tributaries they have become the dominant organism, especially in the fall. A closer look at the results indicates a need to re-evaluate the Tier 2 Biotic Index developed with NYS DEC's Biomonitoring Unit because it is likely that streams dominated by Hydropsychidae are impacted, but often these streams come out with a "non-impacted" rating in the Tier 2 Biotic Index analysis. Physical data reported that eroding stream banks, denuded or mowed riparian areas, and relatively high embeddedness (>40%) are common. It is likely these factors are affecting the BMI communities.

Dissolved oxygen levels seem to stay above the threshold for trout and other sensitive organisms through the Mid-Hudson. However, percent saturation levels are low in some tributaries, particularly the Wallkill River and most of its tributaries, indicating that oxygen levels should be higher for the temperature readings recorded. Thus something other than temperature is limiting oxygen concentrations. It is likely that organic pollution from human sewage, fertilizers, animal waste is contributing to this problem.

Nitrate-nitrogen levels do not seem to be a concern in any tributaries in the Mid-Hudson. Orthophosphate, on the other hand, indicates significant human impact. The national organization River Network suggests that phosphorus levels above 0.3 ppm (as PO4) indicate a definite impact. Almost all Hudson tributaries sampled in the Mid-Hudson had orthophosphate levels of greater than 0.3 ppm for at least some sites and/or sampling dates (orthophosphate data was not collected for Sprout Creek, Crum Elbow Creek and Moodna Creek). The only Hudson tributaries for which orthophosphate levels above 0.3 ppm were NOT reported were Black Creek, the Shawangunk Kill and a tributary to Waywayanda Creek (tributaries to the Wallkill), Sawkill Creek-West of Hudson, and another tributary to the Lower Esopus Creek. Interestingly, the only site along the main stem of the Wallkill that did not yield a result higher than 0.3 ppm was a site in Pine Island, Orange County (in the heart of Black Dirt agricultural region). Not surprisingly, some of the highest levels of orthophosphate were reported at sites immediately downstream of sewage treatment plants (Village of New Paltz and Hamlet of Wallkill on the Wallkill River, Bard College on the Sawkill River-East of Hudson). It is likely that orthophosphate is coming from other non-point sources as well.

No pH results showed any problems except the headwaters of Canterbury Creek in Black Rock Forest (Orange County). All other streams sampled in the Mid-Hudson have high enough alkalinity to buffer the acidic rainfall our region receives.

A Sampling of Results of Volunteer Efforts in the Mid- Hudson Region

Elementary students in Newburgh submitted their Quassaick Creek data to the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District, who then used the data in their Priority Waterbody List (PWL) update submitted to NYS DEC Division of Water. DEC used the student data to revise information about Quassaick Creek in the next published version of the PWL.

LaGrange Middle School students in Dutchess County discovered discharges of diesel fuel and detergents from a storm drain pipe flowing into Wappinger Creek. They reported their findings to the Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, who is working with DEC officials to see that the car wash operation responsible for the discharges will rectify the problem.

Wappingers Falls Junior High students in Dutchess County found extremely high nitrate-nitrogen levels in Hunter Brook, a tributary to Wappinger Creek. This led to an investigation by the Dutchess County Environmental Management Council that revealed a leak in a sewage line pump station. The problem is being rectified.

Millbrook Junior High students in Dutchess County found extremely high chloride levels in Wappinger Lake, just after an early winter snowstorm. This data has been used to support plans to design a stormwater treatment system for the lake.

Linden Avenue Middle students in Dutchess County found extremely high orthophosphate levels in Sawkill Creek downstream of the Bard College sewage treatment plant. The plant is undergoing an upgrade to alleviate the problem.

Citizen "stream team" volunteers' data in the City of Beacon and Town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess County is being used by Conservation Advisory Councils to rectify threats to the health of Fishkill and Landsmankill Creeks.

Highland High School students in Ulster County studied Black Creek and one of its tributaries, Pancake Hollow Brook, which flows through their schoolyard. They realized in comparing the two that Pancake Hollow Brook could benefit from an improved riparian zone - the school maintenance department mowed right up to the creek's edge for the sports fields. The students made a request to the Highland School Board for a 10-foot buffer. Their request was honored. Students plan to plant trees in the buffer zone in coming years.

The Dutchess County is using student and citizen volunteer data and Ulster County Environmental Management Councils to develop and implement watershed management plans for the Wappinger and Lower Esopus Creeks.

Capital Region Watershed

Seven reports have been compiled using data obtained by the HBRW Rapid Watershed Assessment Program (RWAP) on the following Hudson Basin tributaries: The Sparkill, Rockland County; the Vloman Kill, Albany County; Millington Brook, Warren County; Rutgers Creek, Orange County; and the White Creek, Washington County.
Water quality of these tributaries ranged from non-impacted to moderately impacted. Tributaries were located in a variety of locations and included urban, agricultural, rural, and forested areas. All showed evidence of human impact on the aquatic biota.

The Vloman Kill in Albany County had the best water quality, with a biological assessment of slightly to non-impacted and a physical habitat rated as good to excellent.

The Millington Brook, located in a forested area of the Southern Adirondacks, is moderately impacted by chemical and biological parameters. Dissolved oxygen of 5.7 mg/l fell well below the NYS DEC standard, and percent oxygen saturation was recorded at only 59%. Nitrates were elevated. Impact from the buildings septic system located on the property may be contributing to the waters condition.

The physical habitat of Rutgers Creek was good to excellent, with the biological data indicating non-to slightly impacted water quality. Elevated levels of nitrates and phosphorus and low dissolved saturation levels were recorded. Of greatest concern were the significantly elevated total coliform and E. coli counts obtained from the creek.

Physical site assessments of the White Creek ranged from poor to good. The biological assessment profile ranged from slightly to non-impacted; changes in the macroinvertebrate community were found, however, at a site where streambed disruption occurred. The pH exceeded NYS standards at one headwater tributary, conductivity rose over the study period, nitrates were elevated and increased over the study period, dissolved oxygen was noted to be low, and E. coli levels were elevated above recommended EPA levels.

A Sampling of Results of Volunteer Efforts in the Capitol Region

The Sparkill report was submitted to NYS DEC for consideration of including the kill on the Impaired Waters List.

The presence of stoneflies, thought not to inhabit the waters, was documented in the Vloman Kill study.

The Millington Brook study has spurred an intensive watershed study in August 2002.

Rutgers Creek has highlighted the need for county residences and agencies to consider Best Management Practices (BMP) for livestock.

The White Creek study reported to the DEC an extensive dredging occurrence, which resulted in remediation.

Reports are archived for any future data analysis and comparison.