Fecal Indicators & Rainfall in the Hudson River Data
You can also explore this dataset on TUVA, an interactive graphing platform.
Background
These data show the fecal indicator bacteria (Enterococci) and rainfall amounts at five sites along the Hudson River. The data shown represent single samples.
According to Riverkeeper's Hudson River Testing Sites, Enterococcus is an EPA-approved indicator of fecal contamination in water. Water quality can be determined by looking at Enterococcus counts in cells per 100mL of water. Acceptable water quality is between 0-60 cells/100mL. A beach advisory is issued for sites that have between 61-110 cells/100mL. Water quality is unacceptable at sites with over 111 cells/100mL.
Wet weather is a common trigger for fecal contamination. Rainfall data for the sample collection dates and the three days prior to sample collection were obtained by Riverkeeper using Weather Underground.
Additional Resources
We have a related lesson on Enterococcus bacteria in the Hudson River and a related lesson on sewage effluent in the Hudson River, which you may wish to complete before using this dataset.
To view data from additional testing sites, use the excellent data-visualization tool provided by Riverkeeper.
Data Sampling & Compilation
Data Source: Data collected by O’Mullan GD, Juhl AR, and Lipscomb J, available at www.riverkeeper.org. Funding provided by Hudson Riverkeeper, the Wallace Research Foundation, the Brinson Foundation, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, and CUNY Queens College.
These data were provided courtesy of Riverkeeper. Please note their data use policy below for further use.
Riverkeeper's Data Policy:
Hudson River water-quality data posted to the Riverkeeper website are made freely available to the public, and we encourage their wide use. However, if you use the data for research, policy, or educational purposes, we would appreciate that you let us know so that we can document that use for our funders (which will help us continue this service).
Please do not post any data from the Riverkeeper website directly on any other website. However, linking to the Riverkeeper website, or to individual pages on the Riverkeeper website, is encouraged. If the Riverkeeper website data are used as background or ancillary information for any presentation, publication, website, or educational product, we would appreciate proper acknowledgement (Data collected by O’Mullan GD, Juhl AR, and Lipscomb J, available at www.riverkeeper.org. Funding provided by Hudson Riverkeeper, the Wallace Research Foundation, the Brinson Foundation, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, and CUNY Queens College).
If you would like to use the Riverkeeper website data as an integral contribution to any publication or educational product, please contact us to discuss potential collaboration and appropriate determination of authorship. Please contact us if needed to inquire about additional data that may be available and about QA/QC procedures. Thank you for respecting the efforts of many individuals that have gone into collecting, processing, maintaining, and disseminating these valuable data.