The Alley Creek Pathogen Reduction Project and Bergen/Thurston Basin Ribbed Mussel Performance Project, both established in 2023 with the City University of New York (Brooklyn College) and the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, aim to quantify the performance of two nature-based solutions in improving water quality issues resulting from combined sewer outfalls (CSOs) in New York. Funding and supervision are provided by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Additional funding is granted by a subaward from the Research Foundation of the City University of New York.
The Alley Creek Pathogen Reduction Project study area is a 1-acre tidal marsh in Alley Creek, Queens with the objective of quantifying the water benefits that marshes may provide in terms of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) removal, dissolved oxygen level improvements, and nutrient sequestration. Particularly, researchers want to test wetlands as a viable mitigator for CSO discharge pathogens. By testing various locations within the marsh, it will be possible to determine the best spatial configuration of wetland and tidal channels for maximum water quality benefits, particularly maximum FIB and nutrient removal. In a tidal marsh, tidal ebbing and flooding that naturally occurs can sequester bacteria within the sediments and marsh vegetation can decrease tidal energy, slowing down the water. This leaves the water exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light for longer, which kills FIB. To support this project, IEC provides laboratory testing for total suspended solids, total ammonia, total dissolved nitrogen, nitrate+nitrite, orthophosphates, and FIB including Enterococcus, Escherichia coliform, and Total coliform in water samples. IEC also processes sediment samples for FIB concentrations.
The Bergen/Thurston Basin Ribbed Mussel Performance Project, located in Jamaica Bay, Queens, evaluates the ability of ribbed mussels to clear coliform bacteria from contaminated seawater under different environmental and biological conditions. The purpose of this experiment is to quantify the reduction of FIB by ribbed mussels in Bergen and Thurston Basins across seasonal and daily tidal cycles. This is achieved by taking samples at various stages in these cycles and measuring FIB. In addition, mussels are deployed in various configurations and monitored for growth, survival, health, fecundity, and recruitment. Overall, the project will be used to better understand ecosystem impacts of ribbed mussel installations in waterbodies, and may inform future designs for full-scale installations. IEC’s part in this project includes water testing for FIB- Escherichia coli, Total coliforms, and Enterococcus.