Fwd: CWQT week 13--results

[Rob Buchanan]

Three quarters of an inch of rain on Monday apparently led to the big water quality story of the week--the death of thousands of menhaden (also known as bunker) in Flushing Creek. 

The mass die-off was discovered Wednesday morning during a joint visit by scientists from Queens College, paddlers from the Empire Dragonboat Team, and Riverkeeper's John Lipscomb. Their assessment, as posted on the Riverkeeper blog: 

"Menhaden schools can sometimes suffer from episodes of a sort-of accidental mass suicide, when bluefish scare them into shallow water, according to John Waldman, author of “Heartbeats in the Muck,” a book about aquatic life in New York Harbor. In these situations, the menhaden’s own excrement can deplete oxygen, leading to their deaths. But on the scale of what we observed in the creek, and the visual and water quality data that provide context, there’s no doubt the cause of death in this case is the unfettered flow of sewage from tens of thousands of toilets in Queens directly into Flushing Creek."

Added Lipscomb: “We get lost in these academic conversations on Long Term Control Plans and 25-year timeframes, and ‘average’ dissolved oxygen levels. Try to imagine having average oxygen in the room – except for one hour a day, when there isn’t any. Think about it. That’s what we’ve done to the Harbor. How is life supposed to rebound, if every once in awhile there isn’t any oxygen at all? We have to step back and remember that the Clean Water Act was 45 years ago, and New York City is one of the richest cities on Earth. Goddammit, we ought to be able to live with our river and our harbor, without using it as a toilet.”

Not coincidentally Flushing Creek recorded the highest bacteria count of the week with an MPN of 9804--roughly 100 times the legal limit for bathing beaches. And this on Thursday morning, three days Monday's downpour.

Our all-sites table is here. 

Individual site results are available on our map interface here.

Weekly slide show:

Angel Montero, who processes water samples at Queens College, observing the fish kill on Flushing Creek.

Menhaden, or bunker, are a type of small herring that typically reach about six inches in length.

Wallabout Channel in the Brooklyn Navy Yard--our sampling site is also home base for the Village Community Boathouse's Brooklyn rowing operation.

The 'beach' at Stuyvesant Cove on East 21st St. in Manhattan--small but usable!

Homeless encampment/fishing village near 23rd St on Coney Island Creek.

Kayaker launching at Kaiser Park on Coney Island Creek.

That's it for this week--please let us know if any questions or if you'd like to unsubscribe.

--Rob, Nancy, Nina, Eli, Dan, Jen and Sebastian