Optical Measurements of Fecal Coliform Dispersion and Natural Attenuation Patterns in the Hackensack River Estuary
Our Projects
Project Lead
Cheryl Yao
Problem
Elevated fecal coliform levels persist in the lower Hackensack River Estuary, posing risks to ecosystem health, public recreation, and waterfront redevelopment. The locations of chronic hotspots, dispersion pathways, natural attenuation rates, and responses to wet-weather events and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) remain poorly characterized. Baseline information is also needed to evaluate the effectiveness of recently installed stormwater/CSO storage infrastructure in North Bergen.
Objective
Establish baseline and post-infrastructure conditions of fecal coliform contamination in the lower Hackensack River Estuary by characterizing its spatial distribution, dispersion, and natural attenuation under different weather, tidal, and seasonal conditions.
Strategy
- Combine historical monitoring data, fecal coliform measurements using certified laboratory methods, and continuous optical sensor monitoring.
- Integrate legacy and newly collected datasets to evaluate coliform dynamics associated with CSO discharges, storm events, tidal transport, seasonal changes, and infrastructure improvements.
Activities
- Deploy Proteus multiparameter sensors at Chromakill Creek and the Marina in the lower Hackensack River. Conduct at least 12 paired calibration measurements using certified fecal coliform methods to develop site-specific sensor algorithms.
- Conduct approximately 10-day monitoring campaigns before and after major storm events to evaluate dispersion and natural attenuation.
- Conduct approximately one month of continuous monitoring during both leaf-off and leaf-on/growing seasons. Compare the results with historical datasets and evaluate changes before and after operation of the new North Bergen CSO infrastructure.
Outputs
- An integrated historical, laboratory, and continuous-monitoring fecal coliform dataset.
- Characterization of fecal coliform hotspots, dispersion patterns, and natural attenuation in the lower Hackensack River Estuary.
- A summary report evaluating storm-event impacts, seasonal variability, and potential water-quality improvements associated with stormwater infrastructure.