Hudson River Water Quality

An important factor in determining how safe water is for swimming is the amount of a class of bacteria in the water called coliform. Coliform are the form of bacteria that live in animal guts and get into water from animal, including human, waste. The NYS Department of Health requires that the coliform level for safe swimming be less than 1,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water. Since 2003, water samples were collected either by trained volunteers from River Pool at Beacon, Inc. (2003-2005), or by staff from the Dutchess County Department of Health (2006-2008 and future), and analyzed by the Dutchess County Department of Health’s Water Laboratory. Our results show that the water quality at the Hudson River sites under consideration for the floating swimming pool is excellent, and more than meets the requirements for safe swimming.

Additionally, see the latest results on water testing by Riverkeeper.