POLLUTANT LEVELS IN NEW YORK BAY or... have you seen luca brazzi? Jonathan Kelly Freshman Science Project Science (H2), Mr. Angus,

BACKGROUND I live in Bay Ridge, near New York Bay. I often travel down the shore, where I see many people fishing. I have often wondered if the fish they caught were safe to eat.

HYPOTHESIS My original hypothesis was that the water was filthy, and that any fish caught there were poisonous, at best.

New York Harbor

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE STEP ONE Pick three convenient shore-side locations in my area. LOCATION A: The 69th St. Pier just South of the Owls Head Waste Treatment Plant in the UPPER BAY. LOCATION B: Shore Promenade just under the Verrazano Bridge at 101st Street, THE NARROWS. LOCATION C: The very end of the Promenade at the foot of Bay Parkway in the LOWER BAY. STEP TWO Collect labelled samples at all locations. Bring them home. Take my measurements. Record the results. STEP THREE Repeat Step Two.

Collecting water-samples by Location B I THINK IT'S STUCK!!!

FROM PRISTINE TO POLLUTED Harpers Weekly, June 30, 1883

An Oil Spill…in Brooklyn ??!!! The Largest Spill in US History, Greenpoint Brooklyn, 17-30M Gallons

I wonder what’s in there NOW! Sewer Construction in Queens, 1938

What happens to all that…stuff? A typical NYC Waste Treatment Plant

A picture of the real thing Owls Head WPCP, Bay Ridge…Location A at top/right

MEASUREMENT Water Test Kit Each kit tests for: Harmful Bacteria Lead Pesticides Nitrates Nitrites pH Level Hardness Chlorine level

DATA TABLE, both collections 0.00 off-scale 0.00 Chlorine EPA- 4ppm off-scaleHardness EPA-50ppm PH level EPA Nitrites EPA-1ppm Nitrates EPA-10ppm 0.00 Pesticides EPA- 4ppb 0.00 Lead EPA- 15ppb NONE PRESENTNONE PRESENT NONEBacteria EPA-none Location C-lower bay 1 st Round - 2 nd Round Location B – narrows 1 st Round - 2 nd Round Location A – upper Bay 1 st Round - 2 nd Round Substance Tested for

Graphing the 1 st Collection

Graphing the 2 nd Collection

CONCLUSIONS My conclusions, based on my research and measurements, are: The water quality in New York Bay has greatly improved, but not enough for safe consumption. Existing facilities are incapable of handling current waste levels. The harbor water contains harmful bacteria and minerals. DON'T EAT THOSE FISH!!!

REFERENCES New York Magazine (2007)‏ Harper Weekly Magazine (1883)‏ Newtown Creek Oil Spill Study (2007)‏ Constitutional Law Quarterly The Sewer System (Markowitz 2003)‏ Gotham Gazette (2003)‏ The New York Times (various articles)‏ NYC EPA (official publication)‏ US Army Corps of Engineers-NY District Wikipedia (various articles)‏

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