Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of Contributors
- The Hudson River Estuary
- 1 The Hudson River Estuary: Executive Summary
- GEOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, AND CHEMICAL SETTING OF THE HUDSON
- PRIMARY PRODUCTION, MICROBIAL DYNAMICS, AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS OF THE HUDSON
- HUDSON RIVER COMMUNITIES, FOOD WEBS, AND FISHERIES
- CONTAMINANTS AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES OF THE HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY
- 22 The History and Science of Managing the Hudson River
- 23 Hudson River Sewage Inputs and Impacts: Past and Present
- 24 PCBs in the Upper and Tidal Freshwater Hudson River Estuary: The Science behind the Dredging Controversy
- 25 Transport, Fate, and Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the Lower Hudson River
- 26 Contaminant Chronologies from Hudson River Sedimentary Records
- 27 Atmospheric Deposition of PCBs and PAHs to the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary
- 28 Toxic Substances and Their Impact on Human Health in the Hudson River Watershed
- 29 Impacts of Piers on Juvenile Fishes in the Lower Hudson River
- 30 Physiological and Genetic Aspects of Toxicity in Hudson River Species
- Index
- Plate section
- References
23 - Hudson River Sewage Inputs and Impacts: Past and Present
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 January 2010
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- List of Contributors
- The Hudson River Estuary
- 1 The Hudson River Estuary: Executive Summary
- GEOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, AND CHEMICAL SETTING OF THE HUDSON
- PRIMARY PRODUCTION, MICROBIAL DYNAMICS, AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS OF THE HUDSON
- HUDSON RIVER COMMUNITIES, FOOD WEBS, AND FISHERIES
- CONTAMINANTS AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES OF THE HUDSON RIVER ESTUARY
- 22 The History and Science of Managing the Hudson River
- 23 Hudson River Sewage Inputs and Impacts: Past and Present
- 24 PCBs in the Upper and Tidal Freshwater Hudson River Estuary: The Science behind the Dredging Controversy
- 25 Transport, Fate, and Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the Lower Hudson River
- 26 Contaminant Chronologies from Hudson River Sedimentary Records
- 27 Atmospheric Deposition of PCBs and PAHs to the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary
- 28 Toxic Substances and Their Impact on Human Health in the Hudson River Watershed
- 29 Impacts of Piers on Juvenile Fishes in the Lower Hudson River
- 30 Physiological and Genetic Aspects of Toxicity in Hudson River Species
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
abstract The quality of the Hudson River estuary has been negatively impacted for many years by the discharge of untreated sewage. The abatement of these discharges due to construction and upgrading of wastewater treatment plants (WTP) in the Hudson valley from the 1930s to the 1990s has significantly reduced loadings of suspended solids, oxygen demanding organics, floatables, and pathogens, with lesser reductions observed for nitrogen and phosphorus. In response, water quality conditions have improved significantly. Dissolved oxygen has increased from critically low levels to summer averages that exceed 5 mg l−1 and pollution sensitive insects and marine borers have returned to the estuary. Sanitary quality has also improved with most of the Hudson today considered to meet swimmable water quality standards. Consequently, shellfish beds and bathing beaches have been reopened in New York/New Jersey Harbor and additional beaches are being considered throughout the river. Priorities for the future include: increased capital and operations and maintenance investments for WTPs, improved capture and treatment of combined sewer overflows (CSO), and investigation of the need for nutrient removal.
Introduction
The Hudson River south of the Federal dam at Troy comprises an approximately 240 km long estuarine system that has been subjected to an enormous loading of pollutants from a variety of sources for over three hundred years. Until relatively recently, this loading included the discharge of millions of liters of untreated sewage per day.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Hudson River Estuary , pp. 335 - 348Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
References
Abood, K. A., Ganas, M. J., and Matlin, A. 1995. The Teredos are coming! The Teredos are coming!, in (ed.), Ports' 95, Volume 1. Conference Proceedings, March 13–15, 1995. Tampa, Florida. American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, pp. 677–90Google Scholar
, , and 1998. Three dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the New York Harbor, Long Island Sound, and the New York Bight. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 125:799–816CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and 1993. Twenty Year Trends in Water Quality of Rivers and Streams in New York State. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, New YorkGoogle Scholar
, and 1996. The benefits of CSO control: New York City implements nine minimum controls in the harbor. Water Environment & Technology 8:75–9Google Scholar
, and 1996a. Long-term improvements in water quality due to sewage abatement in the lower Hudson River. Estuaries 19:890–900CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and 1996b. Sewage abatement and coliform bacteria trends in the lower Hudson-Raritan Estuary since passage of the Clean Water Act. Water Environment Research 68:25–35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and 1989. A Spatial and Seasonal Study of the Benthic Fauna of the Lower Bay of New York Harbor. Special Report 84, Reference 89–1. Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New YorkGoogle Scholar
City of Albany, 1997. Water for a City Department of Water and Water Supply, Volume 2, Number 3, Albany, New York
, , , and 1992. Geochemistry and loading history of phosphate and silicate in the Hudson Estuary. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science 34:213–33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and 1995. Dissolved oxygen in the lower Hudson Estuary: 1978–93. Journal of Environmental Engineering 121:760–3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franz, D. R. 1982. An historical perspective on molluscs in lower New York Harbor, with emphasis on oysters, in (ed.), Ecological Stress and the New York Bight: Science and Management. Columbia, SC: Estuarine Research Foundation, pp. 181–98Google Scholar
, , , , and 2003. Effect of water quality management efforts on wastewater loadings over the past century. Water Environment Research 75:30–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
HydroQual, Inc. 1991. Assessment of Pollutant Loadings to New York–New Jersey Harbor. Draft final report to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, for Task 7.1, New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. Hydroqual, Inc., Mahwah, New Jersey
Johnson, C. 1994. “Evaluation of BOD, SS, N and P Loadings into the Lower Hudson River Basin from Point and Nonpoint Sources.” M.S. thesis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
, and 1995. A Historical Review of Pollution Loadings to the Lower Hudson River. Paper presented at New York Water Environment Association Meeting, New York City, NY, January 31Google Scholar
, , and 1992. Floatable materials in New York Harbor: Sources and solutions. Clearwaters 22:28–32Google Scholar
Metropolitan Sewerage Commission. 1912. Present Sanitary Conditions of New York Harbor and the Degree of Cleanness Which is Necessary and Sufficient for the Water. Report of the Metropolitan Sewerage Commission of New York, August 1, 1912. Wyncoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., New York
National Academy of Sciences. 1993. Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press
National Academy of Sciences. 1994. High Priority Science to Meet National Coastal Needs. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press
National Academy of Sciences. 1996. Understanding Marine Diversity. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press
NYCDEP (New York City Department of Environmental Protection). 1999. New York Harbor Water Quality Survey 1998. Marine Sciences Section, Wards Island, New York
New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. 1999. Transportation Models, Technical Memorandum No. 8.9. Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, New York, New York
NYSDEC (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation). 2000. Public Meetings to Discuss Feasibility of Hudson River Swimming. Press Release, 7/17/2000. www.dec.state.ny.us/website/press/pressrel/2000-94.html
, and 2000. Trends in indicators of eutrophication in Western Long Island Sound and the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. Estuaries 23:877–901CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2000. Declare Hudson River a No Discharge Area. Press release from the Governor of the State of New York, Albany, New York. 10/27/2000Google Scholar
, and 1989. A reassessment of the benthic macrofauna of the Raritan Estuary. Estuaries 12:145–56CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevens, W. 1996. “Shaking Off Mankind's Taint, The Hudson Pulses With Life,” The New York Times June 9, pp. 1, 46–7
, , , , and 2002. Municipal Waste-water Treatment: Evaluating Improvements in National Water Quality. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Google Scholar
Suszkowski, D. J. 1990. Conditions in the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary, in and (eds.), Cleaning Up Our Coastal Waters: An Unfinished Agenda. March 12–14, 1990. Dynamac Corporation, Rockville, Maryland, pp. 105–31Google Scholar
Tetra Tech, Inc. and Andrew Stoddard & Associates. 2000. Progress in Water Quality: An Evaluation of the National Investment in Municipal Wastewater Treatment. EPA-832-R-00–008. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC
, and 1987. Principles of Surface Water Quality Modeling and Control. New York: Harper and Row PublishersGoogle Scholar
USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). 1996. Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, New York, New York
USEPA. 2000. Ambient aquatic life water quality criteria for dissolved oxygen (saltwater): Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. Office of Water, EPA-822-R-00–012, Nov. 2000. 49 pp
- 8
- Cited by