by LRWP Outreach Monitoring Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
Happy September! We are now in our final month of the volunteer pathogens monitoring program for this summer. We collect water quality samples at non-bathing public access beach sites along the Raritan River, provide our samples to the Interstate Environmental Commission for analysis in their laboratory, and report the results to the public on Friday afternoons.
For your Labor Day weekend plans, please take into consideration the data from our water quality samples taken on August 31, 2023 which show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at two of our sites this week. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway) and Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and include: Edison Boat Basin (Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always be sure to wash thoroughly after any recreational activities and have a safe weekend on the Raritan!
High tide flooded the dock at the Rutgers Boathouse and kept a few volunteers from reaching the sampling point, at least we took pictures in the meantime! Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino
This week, Colleen brought along a very special guest, her son Josh! He did an excellent job helping his mom collect the data off the YSI on our sampling run yesterday, Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino
A shot of our Sayreville site, a beautiful morning for monitoring, Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino
After all these months, Colleen has become a pro at managing all the monitoring equipment in the water, Photo Credit: Michele Bakacs
As always, big thanks to the volunteers who came out this week: Irene Riegner, Frank Dahl, Middlesex County Agent Michele Bakacs, Genevieve Ehasz, Josh L. and Colleen Georges! Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
by LRWP Outreach Monitoring Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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 water quality samples taken on August 24, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at only one of our sites this week. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and include: Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin (Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Many beaches and rivers have placed health advisories, and even closed, due to the high levels of fecal coliform in the waters across New Jersey these past few weeks. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying your weekend activities on the Raritan!
Low tide and overcast skies during our Thursday morning of monitoring,Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
The outfall at the Rutgers Boathouse in New Brunswick was exposed at the time we collected our sample due to the low tide, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Our amazing team of volunteers (including Rose behind the camera) on the docks at the Edison Boat Basin, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Frank Dahl is always ready to spot all types of wildlife with his binoculars, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Another great week of water quality monitoring thanks to our volunteers: Piash Ahamed, Genevieve Ehasz, Irene Riegner, Colleen Georges, Frank Dahl, and Sheyla Casco!Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
With thanks to our wonderful coLAB Arts partners for making magic on the theme of #hiddenstreams and watershed health. For six weeks in Summer 2023 we are working with coLAB Arts to lead area youth in creatively imagining resilient futures for our central NJ landscape.
Weeks 4-6 final presentation will be held Friday August 25, 1pm in New Brunswick’s Joyce Kilmer Park.
Summer Institute 2023: Youth visions for New Brunswick’s Lyell’s Brook Final presentation at Rutgers’ Bloustein School for Planning & Policy
by LRWP Outreach Monitoring Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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 water quality samples taken on August 17, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at our three upstream sites this week. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin (Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation which includes: South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Many beaches and rivers have placed health advisories, and even closed, due to the high levels of fecal coliform in the waters across New Jersey these past few weeks. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying your weekend activities on the Raritan!
Broken clouds this Thursday morning…we had a visitor attentively watch over us at our first monitoring site in Piscataway’s Riverside Park, Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino
The docks at Rutgers Boathouse were being power-washed before we grabbed our samples, which may be the reason enterococcus results are high at this site this week, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
A tall, great blue heron waiting for us on the dock where we collect our sample…what a great day to be out monitoring! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Messy docks once again as we reach our fourth site of the day, Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park in Sayreville, Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino (left), Rose Lawless (right)
Genevieve Ehasz waded into the water this week to collect our samples, while the rest of the volunteers collectively gathered data from the shore, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
by LRWP Outreach Monitoring Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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 water quality samples taken on August 10, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels DO NOT exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at any of our sites this week. Problem sites are normally indicated by red frowns on the map and chart. Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin (Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Many beaches and rivers have placed health advisories, and even closed, due to the high levels of fecal coliform in the waters across New Jersey these past few weeks. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying your weekend activities on the Raritan!
A beautiful morning to be out doing some water quality monitoring! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Every one of our volunteers play an important role in collecting our weekly data, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless(left) and Colleen Georges (right)
A shot of the canal by the docks at the Edison Boat Basin after grabbing our samples, Photo Credits: Rose Lawless
Frank Dahl was happy to volunteer wading into our last two sites for the week, Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
Big thanks to our volunteers of the week: Frank Dahl, Rose Lawless, Sheyla Casco, Piash Ahamed, and Colleen Georges
by LRWP Outreach Monitoring Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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 water quality samples taken on August 3, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels DO NOT exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at any of our sites this week. Problem sites are normally indicated by red frowns on the map and chart. Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Edison Boat Basin (Edison), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Many beaches and rivers have placed health advisories, and even closed, due to the high levels of fecal coliform in the waters across New Jersey these past few weeks. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying your weekend activities on the Raritan!
In our newly implemented “VIP of the week” for the Summer Pathogens Monitoring program, we were joined by none other than Mayor Brian Wahler of Piscataway, who was happy to help out the volunteers with data collection and ready to environmental health with us! Photo Credit: Heather Fenyk
At our following site, we were joined on the docks by VIPs Mayor Foster-Dublin of Highland Park and New Brunswick City Planner Dan Dominguez. Our volunteers did a stellar job showing them our water quality monitoring process! Photo Credit: Heather Fenyk
The seagulls always make sure to leave a mess on the docks at our Sayreville site, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Volunteer Irene Riegner had the opportunity use the waders for the first time at our South Amboy Riverfront, always a fun experience! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Special thanks to our volunteers of the week: Isha from Fahrenfeld Lab, Rose Lawless, Colleen Georges, Frank Dahl, Irene Riegner, and Piash Ahamed! Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership is pleased to present our 2022 Annual Report! With special thanks to Rutgers Raritan Scholar Chris McLaughlin for his assistance in developing this document during Spring semester 2023.
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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.
With a continuation of rainfall this week, our water quality samples taken on July 27, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceed the EPA federal water quality standard at four of our sites. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville) and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and includes: Edison Boat Basin (Edison), and South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators for the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Many beaches and rivers have placed health advisories, and even closed, due to the high levels of fecal coliform in the waters across New Jersey these past few weeks. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, and stormwater run off.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Always remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying your weekend activities on the Raritan!
While collecting samples at Rutgers Boathouse, we had a few visitors who were not afraid to approach us! Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
A great view of our team of volunteers on the dock at Edison Boat Basin, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Frank Dahl and Irene Riegner are always ready to help gear up at our wading site in South Amboy, Photo Credit: Sheyla Casco
Foamy waters at Perth Amboy’s 2nd. Street Park, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Thanks to our committed team of volunteers for coming out this week during the intense heat: Frank Dahl, Rose Lawless, Piash Ahamed, Sheyla Casco, Irene Riegner, and Colleen Georges! Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
By LRWP Monitoring Outreach Coordinator Jocelyn Palomino
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County run a volunteer pathogens monitoring program from May to September every summer along the Raritan River. We collect water quality samples at 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.
With the heavy rainfall and flash flooding there was in the area all week, IEC lab results for water quality samples taken on July 20, 2023 show Enterococcus bacteria levels exceed the EPA federal water quality standard of 104 cfu/100mL at three of our upstream sites this week. Problem sites are indicated by red frowns on the map and chart which includes: Riverside Park (Piscataway), Rutgers Boathouse (New Brunswick), and Edison Boat Basin (Edison). Green smiles on the chart and map indicate sites with bacteria levels safe for recreation and includes: Ken Buchanan Waterfront Park (Sayreville), South Amboy Waterfront Park (South Amboy), and 2nd Street Park (Perth Amboy).
Enterococcus and Fecal Coliform levels are used as indicators of the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria in recreational waters. Such pathogens may pose health risks to people fishing and swimming in a water body. Possible sources of bacteria include Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems.
Our goal in reporting these results is to give area residents an understanding of potential health risks related to primary contact (touching) the water during water based recreation. Considering the high levels of fecal coliform at all of our sites, please remember to wash thoroughly after enjoying any of your weekend activities on the Raritan!
Colleen Georges spotted this little guy making his way across the boat dock, Photo Credit: Colleen Georges
From Piscataway down to Edison, we detected what appeared to be oil sheens on the surface water, Photo Credit: Rose Lawless, Colleen Georges
The team this week looked great wearing our new LRWP t-shirts while at our Sayreville site, you can find a QR code on our sleeve linked to our results page! Photo Credit: Rose Lawless
Colleen was more than ready to suit up this week and collect samples at our last two sites, thank you as always! Photo Credit: Jocelyn Palomino
