On July 22nd, MRRI’s lab staff began their work collecting water samples from the Hackensack River for the 2026 summer season. This is a continuation of our seasonal water quality monitoring efforts which have been ongoing since 1993. Each season, water samples are collected from various points along the Hackensack River & its tributaries as seen on the map below.
In the field, MRRI’s researchers utilize a multi-parameter water quality sonde to analyze multiple parameters of the river’s water including: temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, salinity, and pH.
Further analyses of these samples are conducted in MRRI’s NJDEP-certified laboratory, where the parameters being monitored are: ammonia, 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, hardness, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, turbidity, fecal coliforms, chloride, bromide, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, nickel and mercury. The metal species are analyzed for both the total and dissolved forms.
