Water Quality Happenings in the Navesink River

Year Three of COA-DEP ambient bacteria monitoring in twenty locations is in full swing

COA conducted a thorough site evaluation of twelve new possible water quality testing locations along the Navesink River based on a proposal from NJDEP. These twelve upstream locations are being explored using a screening tool called the “IDEXX method evaluation”. Results could lead to future ambient monitoring as part of the ongoing COA-DEP study.

Staff Scientist Swarna Muthukrishnan, PhD, and Coastal Watershed Protection Coordinator, Alison McCarthy, along with intern Megan Andreasen investigated these sites for factors, such as ease of access, feasibility of long term citizen science sampling, and safety issues before selecting eight suitable locations.

COA is presently conducting a baseline assessment of bacteria water quality in these eight locations using the IDEXX method under the EPA equipment loan grant. These results will be evaluated both by COA and DEP to determine if these sites will also be included with the ongoing monitoring.

Additionally, Rutgers University is collaborating with COA and the Borough of Red Bank to evaluate how drones can be used to monitor water quality (e.g. DO, salinity, temperature etc.) in the Navesink. The use of drones to conduct real time monitoring of water quality in rivers is innovative, and Rutgers University is in the initial stages of evaluating this technology in the brackish waters of the Navesink. We will share more updates in the future.