TABLE 1.
Summary of available water monitoring data for Lower Passaic River
| Data source | Time period covered | Sampling location(s) | No. of samples collected | Type of microbes evaluated (unit)a | Concn
|
Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Maximum | Minimum | ||||||
| USGSb | 1991 to 1997 | USGS site 1389880 (Passaic River at | 31 | Fecal coliform (colonies/100 ml) | 2,725 | 92,000 | <200 | Data were also available for 1974 to 1981 but |
| Elmwood Park; less than 1 mile upstream of Dundee Dam) | Enterococcus (colonies/100 ml) | 380 | 9,000 | 5 | were not included in this analysis | |||
| IEC | 2003 (6 days between 11 | Six sampling locations around Newark Bay | 36 | Fecal coliform (MPN/100 ml) | 6,574 | 46,000 | 230 | Samples collected during wet and dry |
| August 2003 and 22 September | complex, including Passaic River | Total coliform (MPN/100 ml) | 25,774 | 240,000 | 230 | conditions | ||
| 2003) | Fecal Streptococcus (MPN/100 ml) | 2,988 | 24,000 | 4 | ||||
| Fecal Enterococcus (MPN/100 ml) | 2,762 | 24,000 | 3 | |||||
| Saybrook Place CSO | 2003 (September 23) | Saybrook Place CSO (located within | 2 | Total coliform (CFU/100 ml) | >30,000 | >30,000 | Results reported as TNTC | |
| Passaic River Study Area). First sample | Fecal coliform (CFU/100 ml) | >30,000 | >30,000 | Results reported as TNTC | ||||
| collected from CSO itself, second from surface water within 10 ft of | Fecal Streptococcus and fecal Enterococcus (CFU/100 ml) | >30,000 | >30,000 | Results reported as TNTC | ||||
| discharge point. Samples collected immediately after rainstorm | Escherichia coli | Positive | Positive | Laboratory results indicated that E. coli was clearly present, but it was not quantifiable because the other species were present in overwhelming numbers (5) | ||||
| Giardia (cysts/liter) | 798 | 1,860 | Based on two samples, one collected directly from discharging CSO (1,860 cysts/liter) and the other 10 ft downstream (798 cysts/liter) | |||||
| PVSCc | 2000 to 2001 | Twelve stations sampled along Lower Passaic River (10 from bridges, two closest to Newark Bay from boat), two in Newark Bay (from boat), and two in Hackensack River (from boat) | 574 | Fecal coliform (bacteria/100 ml) | 1,120 | NAd | NA | Minimum and maximum values not presented in report |
a
The units CFU, MPN, colonies, and bacteria are used interchangeably.
b
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data are reported as geometric means.
c
PVSC, Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners.
d
NA, not available.