WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF THE HUDSON VALLEY FARM HUB DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN HURLEY, NEW YORK USING BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES

Benthic Macroinvertebrate (BMI) sampling and water quality testing were conducted on the Lower Esopus Creek, which passes through the Hudson Valley Farm Hub (HVFH) in Hurley, NY. The purpose of this research was to determine the overall water quality of the Lower Esopus Creek, since ecofriendly remediation efforts have been implemented by the HVFH since 2013. Water quality parameters and contaminant concentration levels were analyzed from June of 2019 to October of 2019 at five different locations along the creek. The parameters and contaminant levels were based on dissolved oxygen, TDS, and nitrates. BMI samples were collected via kick method in June of 2019 at four different locations along the creek, and analyzed in July of 2019 at the Watershed Assessment Associates, LLC lab in Schenectady, NY. A Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) score was generated from various calculated parameters, which were compared with the water quality data, in order to determine the overall health of the Lower Esopus Creek. Based on the BAP score, it was determined that the Lower Esopus Creek is slightly impacted. The research data from 2019 was compared with data from 2007, which indicated that the overall water quality of the Lower Esopus Creek has improved. This suggests that the ecofriendly remediation efforts applied by the HVFH have ameliorated the health of the Lower Esopus Creek since 2013.