As part of HooRWA’s water quality monitoring activities, HooRWA tests for e.coli bi-weekly throughout the summer months. Every time we have run additional DNA tests, results show that the e.coli is human-caused, which would indicate failing septic systems and/or failing sewer overflow systems. Given e.coli loads are coming from aging infrastructure, we can infer that, in addition to human fecal matter entering the River, whatever else we flush down our toilets can also end up in the River. Please do NOT flush pollutants, chemicals, or medications down your toilet. Thank you for helping to maintain an healthier Hoosic. Collectively we have been helping clean up the Hoosic and it shows in the sensitive benthic macroinvertebrates present in the River. With extra care we can diminish e.coli loads as well.
E.coli loads were last sampled on August 20th with lab results in on Friday. Below are HooRWA intern Braeden Scheifele’s observations.
- Minimal rain prior to this week’s bacteria sampling leaves us with mostly stable levels.
- For the first time this season, Hodges Cross site is below triple digits!
- River St. site’s load has surged once again and landed well over 1,000. Meanwhile, the two other flood chute sites do not even cross 100! What could be going on here? It seems that either River St. is proving to be a huge source of contamination, even in dry conditions, or something further downstream of Union St., but upstream of River St., is contributing greatly along the North Branch.
- Mass Ave site has high loads, likely due to what we are seeing upstream at River St. However, levels do not appear to be traveling too far downstream as Ashton Ave and on are in a good shape. Perhaps the relatively clear South Branch is helping lower the concentration of bacteria as it merges with the North Branch at the end of the Flood Chutes.
- Cheshire site was not sampled this week due to consistently posting low loads.
Last week, we also conducted sampling at five new sites along the North Adams Flood Chutes where outfalls flow into the North Branch. These samples were taken in an attempt to give us more insight into what E. coli levels are like in between our two North Branch flood chute sites (River St. and Union St.) that have remained high throughout the season. Just looking at those two sites appeared to not be telling the whole story, and while it still has not been unraveled, our results were certainly helpful in getting us there.
NOTE: Canal St. site was the only outfall sampled directly from the source. Remaining sites were sampled just downstream of the point where outfall flow (if any) merges with the North Branch. Marshall St. and Holden St. had no flow at the time of sampling, but samples were still taken in attempt to pinpoint spikes of E. coli within the flood chutes
Review HooRWA’s reports below. The first one is last week’s report, followed by the additional sampling in the flood control chutes, and the cumulative for the season. Our last sampling session for the season is on September 3. At that session, provided we can locate additional outflow pipes between Marshall St and River St in North Adams, we will sample at or downstream of them as well, and alert City officials.
