By LRWP Monitoring Outreach Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino

During the summer, the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer-based monitoring program along the Raritan river that takes place every Thursday, from May to October. 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 on Friday afternoons. Our mission is to share this data with the community and partners to ensure the safe use of the Raritan river for all.

After the rainfall experienced on Wednesday, our lab results for water quality samples taken on May 30, 2024 show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceeding the EPA federal water quality standard of 104 cfu/100mL at 4 of our monitoring sites this week. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart which include: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin (Edison) and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate the sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and include: Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Edison) and South Amboy 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, and runoff from manure storage areas.

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 decide to recreate on the Raritan this weekend, please do so safely and be sure to wash thoroughly after all activities!

We encounter all types of wildlife during monitoring, we always make sure to record data on which animals are present at the time of our sample collection, as it could possibly contribute to the fecal bacteria in the water. Photo Credit: Rose Lawless

Don’t forget to keep an eye-out for our stickers with a QR code that directs you to the weekly water quality results on our website! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless

Volunteers Andrew Gehman and Rose Lawless working together to collect the data on this week’s water conditions at Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park, THANK YOU!! Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino

From collecting samples to conducting field observations, water quality monitoring takes teamwork to successfully gather the appropriate data to better understand what our results mean. Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino

Speaking of wildlife… we had a visitor lurking by at 2nd St. Park in Perth Amboy who was enjoying the sand! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless