Written by Olesya Nabokova, Rutgers Environmental Steward Program Participant
Thursday mornings begin early for the pathogen monitoring team. By 7:30 a.m., we are already at Riverside Park — the first of six sampling sites. These mornings are usually remarkably beautiful, filled with early sunlight, the quiet murmur of the river, crisp air, and the warm and inspiring atmosphere created by a group of enthusiastic people.
Art, Ashley, Endurance, Olesya, and Mike at Riverside Park, Piscataway.
All of them come from very different backgrounds, including LRWP representatives, Rutgers students, and simply concerned and engaged members of the community, but we are all driven by a common purpose. And this blend of people is easily the most inspiring part of the experience.
I first learned about LRWP pathogens monitoring while enrolled in the Rutgers Environmental Steward (RES) program. As an ecologist, I wanted to understand the environmental characteristics of the region my family had just moved to, and find ways to contribute to addressing its environmental challenges. RES provides exactly that opportunity: it empowers volunteers with the knowledge and tools to tackle pressing environmental issues across New Jersey. Through expert-led training and hands-on learning, Stewards discover how to promote sustainable climate solutions and drive meaningful change, both in their personal lives and within their communities.
To graduate, every Steward completes a certification project addressing a specific environmental issue in their community. You can design your own project with support from a coordinator or choose an existing initiative from a host organization. I was particularly drawn to LRWP pathogens monitoring of the Lower Raritan River.
At first glance, this work may sound like simply collecting water samples. In reality, it goes much deeper. Only volunteers who have completed the required training and hands-on practice are permitted to collect samples and conduct field measurements of water-quality parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, algal pigments, salinity, and temperature. Standardized procedures are carefully followed, and monitoring equipment is thoroughly calibrated.
Susana and Olesya record measurements from the YSI Sonde, including temperature, pH, and salinity.
In addition to water-quality measurements, the team conducts a Visual Habitat Assessment, documenting conditions such as weather and tide at the time of sampling, water color and odor, human activities, animals present in the waterbody, and other observations. While on-site, we also remove trash from the shoreline and the water.
But one of the most critical parts of our work is community outreach. We chat with passersby about what we are doing and why this data matters. We show them where to find our weekly results online, helping the public make informed, safe decisions about swimming, kayaking, or boating at different spots along the river.
Mike searches for plastic trash amid the debris deposited at Edison Boat Basin.
Throughout every stage of this work, I am constantly inspired by my teammates. They are ready to collect samples in pouring rain or under the blazing sun. They remove dozens of gallons of trash from the shoreline.
They have an impressive knowledge of the local flora, fauna, and environmental and historical features of the region. And they are generous in sharing that knowledge with others. Perhaps what inspires me most is that the team does not simply observe the problems we encounter – it takes action. For instance, when signs of a possible leak or overflow from a combined sewer system (including a characteristic odor and large amounts of discarded baby wipes along the shoreline) were noticed, LRWP representatives followed up with local authorities to report the issue. On another occasion, when we found trees along the riverbank that had been damaged during lawn mowing, the team carefully tended them over the following few weeks and helped protect regrowth from further harm.
After coordinating with Eddy, the Boyd Park maintenance lead in New Brunswick, the team installed a series of tree guards around a series of honey locusts. The trees grew four feet in one season. Mature trees reduce the strain on storm water systems and protect the ground from excessive solar heat.
It is largely thanks to people like these – caring, dedicated, and deeply committed to their community – that this experience has been so meaningful to me. I am especially grateful to Heather Fenyk, LRWP’s Executive Director, for her leadership and guidance; to Dr. John Meyer for the thoughtful way he organizes each sampling session, generously shares his knowledge, and navigates all unexpected situations with remarkable patience and tact; and to my RES coordinator, Michele Bakacs, for introducing me to this opportunity. For me, this is exactly what environmental stewardship looks like in practice: science, community, and a genuine commitment to the place we all share.
Olesya and Mike display seven gallons of trash recovered from Sayreville.
The first pathogen monitoring session of the month took place on Thursday, September 3rd. Each week during the summer, from May to October, the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer-based monitoring program along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at six non-bathing public access beach sites, provide our samples to the Interstate Environmental Commission for analysis in their laboratory, and report the results to the public. Our mission is to share this data with the community and partners to ensure the safe use of the Raritan River for all.
This week, our sites received one to three inches in the 24 hours prior to water monitoring. This tends to flush feces into the water, and our results reflect this fundamental connection between precipitation and water quality.
Our lab results for water quality samples taken on Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceeding the EPA federal water quality standard of 104 cfu/100mL at five of our regular monitoring sites this week. The problem sites are indicated by the red frown on the map and chart and include Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin(Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Green smiles on the chart and map indicate the sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and include the following: Raritan Bay Waterfront Park (South Amboy).
Pathogens/Enterococci levels are used as indicators of the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people coming in primary contact with the water (touching) through recreational activities like fishing, kayaking or swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, stormwater runoff, leaking septic systems, animal carcasses, pet waste, wildlife waste, and runoff from manure storage areas.
In order to better understand why Riverside Park, Piscataway has been our worst performing site over the past six years, we have started sampling at new sites in the vicinity. On September 3rd, we sampled the D&R Canal at Demott Lane for a fourth time since we started pathogens monitoring this season. The lab analysis produced 246 enterococci cfu per 100mL which fails to meet the EPA federal water quality standard of 104 cfu/100mL. For the first time, this site has failed the test!
Our goal in reporting these results is to give residents a better understanding of the potential health risks related to primary contact during water-based recreation. If you are planning on recreating on the Raritan this weekend, make sure to stay safe and wash up after any activities!
Art gallantly wades into the water next to the Combined Sewer Outfall in Perth Amboy. You can see a sanitary wipe in the foreground.
Nothing says “welcome to the park” like a Natural Green Lawn Care pesticide flag. The problem with spraying glyphosates and nitrogen fertilizer near the river bank is that much of it washes into the stream, damaging aquatic ecology. Spraying riverbanks is bad for the taxpayer and bad for the environment.
Mike grabbed more than five gallons of plastic and Styrofoam from the New Brunswick boat ramp. If we have to capitalize ‘Styrofoam’, maybe Dow Jones ought to capitalize our cleanups.
In New Brunswick, the pigeons carefully observed the water monitoring team. We tried to talk to the pigeons about volunteering for the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership, but they ignored every entreaty. Some fowl folks have no sense of civic duty.
Taxpayer Mike Orsini has noticed that the beach in South Amboy suffers from runoff near the paved surfaces. With enough rainfall on impervious surfaces, the water quickly picks up enough energy to carry away the sand. An easy, affordable solution would be to install a swale to catch and filter the rainwater.
Before each session, the team charges the YSI and calibrates the sensors. Here, we can see the screen for calibrating pH, especially in the high (base) range of 10. That number is similar to bleach, and we have thankfully never encountered that in the Raritan.
