Report on the Riverkeeper Water Quality Portal and its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Overview

A new interactive data portal has been launched by the environmental group Riverkeeper to provide critical information on the water quality of the Hudson River. This initiative directly addresses information gaps resulting from reduced federal environmental oversight and makes significant contributions toward several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning health, water quality, and ecosystem vitality.

The portal was developed with $250,000 in federal funding and serves as a vital public resource for communities from New York Harbor to the Adirondacks.

Addressing SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The portal is a key tool for advancing SDG 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. It provides transparent, accessible data on water conditions, empowering communities and policymakers.

• Water Quality Monitoring: The system aggregates data from regular testing at nearly 250 sites along the river.
• Pollution Tracking: It includes information on sewer systems that discharge untreated sewage into the river, a direct threat to clean water.
• Climate Impact Analysis: The portal documents the effects of rainstorms and drought on water quality, contributing to climate-resilient water management.
• Drinking Water Safety: It provides links to annual U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports and allows users to determine the level of PFAS—so-called “forever chemicals”—in their drinking water.

Promoting SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water)

The initiative directly supports public health (SDG 3) and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems (SDG 14) by providing actionable information on environmental risks.

1. Safe Recreational Use: Swimming and boating locations are assigned “pass” or “fail” grades based on the measured levels of fecal contamination, helping the public avoid health risks.
2. Sustainable Consumption: The portal includes comprehensive fish consumption advisories. This information helps protect human health while also highlighting the condition of fish populations, a key indicator of ecosystem health under SDG 14. For example:
   • Advisories are provided for sensitive populations (children under 15 and women of child-bearing age) and the general population.
   • Specific species like Largemouth bass and northern pike are listed with “Don’t Eat” advisories for sensitive groups.
3. Protecting Aquatic Life: By mapping pollution from industrial facilities and waste sites, the portal identifies threats to the river’s biodiversity, including endangered species like the Hudson River sturgeon.

Strengthening SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

In an era of reduced federal oversight, the portal serves as an alternative mechanism for accountability and transparency, which are central to SDG 16. The project was initiated in response to concerns that cutbacks at the EPA, including the elimination of environmental justice departments, have left waterways at increased risk.

• Filling Institutional Gaps: Riverkeeper President Tracy Brown stated the portal becomes “more vital” as federal agencies “pull long-standing data systems offline.”
• Public Access to Information: The platform ensures that New Yorkers are not left with “blind spots” regarding the safety of their water, empowering them with the knowledge to advocate for environmental protection.
• Accountability: While the EPA has stated its commitment to addressing PFAS contamination and holding polluters accountable, this portal provides an independent, publicly accessible tool for verifying environmental conditions and institutional performance.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article directly connects to SDG 3 by discussing threats to human health from water pollution. It raises questions about whether it’s “safe to swim” and if “fish are safe to eat.” It also highlights the presence of “PFAS — so-called forever chemicals — in their drinking water” and provides “fish consumption advisories,” which are all measures to protect public health from environmental hazards.

2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

   • This is a central theme of the article. The entire purpose of the Riverkeeper’s portal is to monitor and report on the water quality of the Hudson River. The article explicitly mentions pollution from “untreated sewage,” the impact of “rainstorms and drought” on water quality, and contamination of drinking water sources, which are core concerns of SDG 6.

3. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • The article addresses the health of aquatic ecosystems. It mentions providing “information about the health of the river’s fish” and a lawsuit aimed at protecting “endangered Hudson River sturgeon.” This demonstrates a clear link to the goal of protecting marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution and ensuring their sustainability.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article highlights a gap in institutional accountability, stating that the Riverkeeper portal fills a “need created by cutbacks in federal environmental oversight” and that “federal agencies cut staff and pull long-standing data systems offline.” It also mentions the elimination of “environmental justice departments which advocated on behalf of communities impacted by pollution,” linking the issue to the need for effective, accountable institutions and public access to information and justice.

5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The initiative described is a partnership between a civil society organization (Riverkeeper) and a government body. The article states the system is “backed by $250,000 in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.” This collaboration to achieve a common environmental monitoring goal is a direct example of a multi-stakeholder partnership as promoted by SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

   • The article’s focus on identifying the “amount of fecal matter,” levels of “PFAS,” and other “environmental contaminants” in swimming, fishing, and drinking water directly relates to this target. The fish consumption advisories are a tool to prevent illness from water contamination.

2. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

   • The Riverkeeper’s work to test water and provide data on “untreated sewage” and pollution from “industrial facilities and waste sites” is directly aligned with the goal of improving water quality by reducing pollution.

3. Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

   • The monitoring of land-based pollution sources such as “sewer systems,” “industrial facilities,” and “waste sites” that impact the Hudson River (a tidal estuary connected to the ocean) directly contributes to this target.

4. Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.

   • The creation of the “interactive map and online portal” is a primary example of this target in action. Its purpose is to fill “gaps in information” and ensure that New Yorkers do not have to “live with blind spots when it comes to knowing if their water is clean or not.”

5. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

   • The collaboration between the environmental group Riverkeeper and the U.S. government, evidenced by the “$250,000 in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer,” perfectly illustrates the public-civil society partnership described in this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Proportion of water bodies with good ambient water quality.

   • The article implies this indicator through the “Pass or fail grades” assigned to swimming and boating spots. These grades are based on water sample tests, providing a direct measure of water quality at nearly 250 sites.

2. Concentration of pollutants in water and ecosystems.

   • Specific indicators are mentioned throughout the article. These include:
     • The “amount of fecal matter” detected in water samples.
     • The “level of PFAS” in drinking water.
     • Data on pollution from “industrial facilities, waste sites and other environmental contaminants.”
     • Contaminant levels in fish, which lead to specific consumption advisories (e.g., “Don’t Eat” or “one meal a month”).

3. Public access to environmental information.

   • The existence and functionality of the “interactive map and online portal” itself serves as an indicator. Its usage and the range of data it provides (from water quality tests to EPA reports) measure the extent to which the public has access to vital environmental information.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: lohud.com