Remediating and preventing contamination
Cleaning up decades of pollution and preventing more requires scientific understanding, targeted legal action, and sustained advocacy
The challenge
Our waterways face a number of threats from existing contamination to potential pollution.
From the dawn of the Industrial Revolution until the reforms of the environmental movement, the Hudson River and its tributaries were used as a dumping ground for waste. Various industries dumped dyes, paints, solvents, petroleum, heavy metals, and a host of chemicals, some of which resist breaking down naturally and remain in the water or sediment, in the tissues of fish, and in the communities of the Hudson Valley. While important regulations like the Clean Water Act have stemmed the tide of much of this pollution, there is still a great deal of work to do cleaning up our rivers, canals, and streams, as well as protecting them from future contamination.
The Hudson River itself is one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites thanks to General Electric’s dumping of PCBs, a “forever chemical” that still makes many of the river’s fish unsafe to eat. Connected waterways like the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek in New York City are home to some of the most notorious contamination hotspots, with a dangerous mix of contaminants in sediment coupled with regular doses of raw sewage. Other pockets of contamination in the Hudson remain to be addressed, including coal tar in Poughkeepsie, and PCBs in Hastings.
These threats exist not only for wildlife, but also for our drinking water. The more recent regulation of PFAS — another “forever chemical” — has revealed a host of contaminated sites affecting drinking water sources, including Stewart Air National Guard Base near Newburgh, and Westchester Airport.
In addition, numerous incidents over the years have shown us that the transport via railcar and cargo ship of oil, gas, and toxic chemicals on and near waterways can end in disaster.
- Focus areas
- Water qualityHabitat and wildlifeDrinking water
What we're doing
To prevent further damage to our waterways, we are working to stop pollution at the source and ensure complete restoration at contaminated sites.
The health of our communities is inextricably tied to the health of our waters. Riverkeeper is committed to cleaning up our waterways and preventing further contamination through advocacy, legal action, and community outreach.
Gowanus Canal
In 2010, following Riverkeeper’s years of advocacy in conjunction with community partners, the EPA declared Gowanus Canal a Superfund site, and in 2018 the agency announced a $100 million agreement with National Grid to clean up the site.
Riverkeeper is working to help clean up some of the former industrial sites along the canal’s banks, reduce sewage overflows, and improve water quality. We’re part of the Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group, a coalition of stakeholders that helps guide and provide input on the cleanup process, and we regularly test the water quality of the canal, as well as monitor through our patrol boat program for further evidence of unlawful contamination.
Newtown Creek
Sample from Newtown Creek boom, 2023
Despite its contamination, we see Newtown Creek as a waterway with great potential — teeming with aquatic life, active recreational communities, clean water stewards, and committed educators.
In addition to helping convince the EPA to list the entire creek as a Superfund site in 2010, we’re also part of the Newtown Creek Superfund Community Advisory Group, and we worked with Newtown Creek Alliance to develop a long-term plan to help restore the creek and its surroundings. In addition, Riverkeeper has taken dozens of actions against polluters on the creek, resulting in their compliance with the Clean Water Act and payment of tens of thousands of dollars that we directed to environmental benefit projects for the creek.
$100M
After years of Riverkeeper advocacy, the EPA announced a $100 million agreement with National Grid to clean up the Gowanus Canal
$1.3M
Atlantic Richfield agreed to spend $1.3 million restoring and reopening Quarry Park in Hasting-on-Hudson thanks to a legal agreement Riverkeeper helped secure
Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek, situated just five miles away from each other in Brooklyn and Queens, could not be further apart in the pace of their remediation processes. Steps have been taken to begin the cleanup of the Gowanus Canal, and officials must move with equal urgency to address the contamination of Newtown Creek. A concerted, collective effort inclusive of community voices is critical to keeping both cleanups moving forward.
Mike Dulong
Legal Program Director
Newtown Creek map from Vision Plan 2018, Riverkeeper, Newtown Creek Alliance, Perkins+Will
Spill response, mitigation, and prevention
Riverkeeper is committed to building stronger protections to prevent spills of oil, gas, and toxic chemicals from trains and cargo ships, while holding polluters accountable and ensuring complete cleanup in the case of such contamination.
We’ve gathered and sent thousands of comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, calling for tighter train safety regulations and a ban on the dangerous crude-oil carrying “bomb trains.” We also advocate for improvements to aging infrastructure that will ease the threat of a catastrophic crash or contamination.
Riverkeeper has led efforts to improve spill preparedness along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, where hazardous materials are shipped on both water and rail. Riverkeeper is the only NGO that regularly participates in spill response preparedness drills alongside state and federal agencies.
PCB Cleanup in the Village of Hastings
Photo: Hastings on Hudson Historical Society
In 2017, Riverkeeper helped secure a legal agreement to integrate the in-river remediation that we fought to include as part of the overall cleanup of the former Anaconda Wire & Cable Company/Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) site in Hastings-on-Hudson. The agreement also incorporates certain necessary changes to the shoreline cleanup and on-site restoration. Such remediation and restoration work will ultimately lead to the healing of this beautiful stretch of the Hudson.
In addition, the agreement required Atlantic Richfield to pay $1.3 million to restore and reopen Quarry Park, a former Village dump, and restore the trail that links the park with the waterfront. In June 2024, Quarry Park was opened to the public. $700,000 in environmental benefit funds that we secured through our successful legal efforts helped transform the polluted site into a vibrant public space. This area, once heavily contaminated with toxic PCBs, has been a focal point of Riverkeeper’s efforts for decades, and we continue to advocate for its full restoration.
Air National Guard PFAS
The Stewart Air National Guard Base’s use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams contaminated sources of drinking water in the City of Newburgh and Town of New Windsor. Riverkeeper has been engaged with the community to ensure that the U.S. Department of Defense commits to interim steps that would reduce the flow of contaminated water off-base, while it develops a long-term comprehensive cleanup program.
Poughkeepsie coal tar
Visitors to Walkway Over the Hudson State Park can take in the majestic view of the river from atop the former railroad bridge. But at low tide under the bridge, bubbles of oily, contaminated water emerge from the riverbottom — the result of residual coal tar that covers the area thanks to a defunct manufactured gas plant. The cleanup of this coal tar is complicated by the depth, slope, and current of the river, as well as the pollution’s proximity to drinking water intakes in Poughkeepsie and Highland. Riverkeeper is working with our partners in the Hudson 7 to find a solution that will remove the pollution without threatening drinking water.
Legislative protections
One of our top legislative priorities is pushing for bills that prevent contamination, such as restrictions on the use of PFAS in consumer products, the ban of a toxic bee-killing pesticide, and the elimination of coal tar pavement sealants that leach into our lakes, streams, and even our homes, causing harm to human health and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, we helped secure the passage of bills to prevent and mitigate spills in the Hudson, including 2024 legislation enhancing transparency for petroleum transporters.
Updates
Event recap
December 19, 2024
Our effort to reduce pollution in Newtown Creek
Blog
December 4, 2024
Riverkeeper testifies on "forever chemicals" at NYS Assembly
Blog
July 9, 2024
How Riverkeeper’s legal campaigns support restoration
Blog
May 16, 2024
2024 Legislative Session Recap: Riverkeeper Urges Swift Action on Environmental Bills Following Budget Success
Press release
April 19, 2024
Riverkeeper Applauds New York State's Environmental Commitment in 2025 Budget
History
Related campaigns
Spill prevention and preparedness
Working to protect the Hudson and its communities from the threats posed by anchor strikes and spills
Protecting and restoring habitats
The Hudson River watershed is home to a breathtaking diversity of life. Protecting and restoring our aquatic habitats is critical for their renewal and for a healthy future for all life in the watershed
Beyond Indian Point
Monitoring the shutdown of a nuclear power plant on the banks of the Hudson that killed billions of fish each year