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Water quality monitoring in the source water areas for New York City: an integrative watershed approach

350 210 Stroud Water Research Center

Arscott, D.B., A.K. Aufdenkampe, T.L. Bott, C.L. Dow, J.K. Jackson, L.A. Kaplan, J.D. Newbold, and B.W. Sweeney. 2008. Final report on monitoring activities, 2000-2005. Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, Pennsylvania.

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Executive Summary

In this report, the Stroud Water Research Center (SWRC) presents results from the entire six years (2000 – 2005) of a water-quality monitoring project of the streams, rivers, and reservoirs that provide New York City’s (NYC) drinking water. This project involved analyzing specific physical, chemical, and biological indicators to measure, quantify, and determine sources and impacts of selected contaminants throughout the watersheds that make up the NYC drinking water supply. The project was designed to enhance on-going monitoring within the watersheds and to provide an additional baseline of information useful in such aspects as measuring changes in water quality in response to changes in land use and the implementation of best management practices (BMP) for mitigating both point and non-point source pollution. The focus was on ecosystem impairment (e.g., differences in stream community structure and stream/reservoir productivity, levels of nutrient processing or sequestering) and contaminant sources (e.g., point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and non-point sources such as agricultural fields).