How Riverkeeper is turning Hudson River water quality data into action
Annual Hudson River Water Quality Monitoring Collaborative Workshop brings together 100+ stakeholders using data for real-world change
May 20, 2026
Shannon Roback, PhD
Science Director
On May 1, 2026 over 100 community scientists, regulators, academics, municipal leaders, and watershed groups convened in Poughkeepsie for Riverkeeper’s third annual Hudson River Water Quality Monitoring Collaborative Workshop.
The Collaborative, which Riverkeeper started in 2023, brings together a wide variety of stakeholders who conduct water quality monitoring in the region to share information and resources. Since 2023, the Collaborative has grown to over 150 members, created seven different Affinity Groups to increase collaboration around important topics such as microplastics and harmful algal blooms, and provided guidance on the expansion of Riverkeeper’s water quality monitoring program.
247
We routinely monitor 247 locations throughout the Hudson River watershed
Collaborative members have developed partnerships to share knowledge and cooperate to collect water quality data across the watershed. The 2026 Workshop was focused on Pathways to Action. Riverkeeper and its partners have collected thousands of data points over the past 20 years — data that have helped us understand how water quality has changed over time and informed the actions we’ve taken to protect and restore those same waters. The goal of this year’s Workshop was to highlight strategies for turning that data into action.
Riverkeeper’s Collaborative Workshops are unique among conferences. Rather than talks and lectures, the vast majority of the day is devoted to small group discussions. Participants attended one of seven Pathways sessions (legal, advocacy, science, communication, planning, the Riverkeeper Water Quality Portal, or working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation).
In these sessions, attendees discussed their experiences using these Pathways to drive change. The goal of the session was to learn from one another and to better understand how a particular strategy could be employed. In the second half of the day, attendees were grouped by geography. This allowed neighbors to talk with one another about water quality challenges in their communities and develop a plan for taking action.
The day wasn’t all work, though. Attendees were able to choose one of three adventures. Some went on a guided tour of the Hudson led by Riverkeeper President Tracy Brown, while strolling Walkway Over the Hudson. Others enjoyed a guided tour of the nearby Fall Kill Creek, a tributary of the Hudson, with Zion Klos from Marist College and David Chernick from Scenic Hudson. Some attendees also went on an indoor adventure (led by Riverkeeper Senior Director of Advocacy, Policy, and Planning Dan Shapley, and Hudson 7 Coordinator Rebecca Martin) where they learned about the Hudson 7 — the intermunicipal council dedicated to protecting the Hudson River as a source of drinking water for over 100,000 Hudson Valley residents.
The day concluded with a session where participants displayed their posters describing water quality monitoring projects and a mixer where attendees enjoyed conversation and meeting new potential partners.
As Riverkeeper celebrates our 20th year of water quality monitoring in partnership with other community scientists, the Workshop illustrates the importance of not only collecting data, but also finding ways to use that data to take action to protect clean water across New York. And we can have fun doing it!
Related campaigns
Water quality monitoring
Riverkeeper is the go-to source for information about the quality of the water along the Hudson River and its tributaries
Protecting Hudson River watershed drinking water at the source
Riverkeeper ensures that drinking water sources stay clean and safe through vigilant advocacy and conservation efforts
Emerging and unregulated contaminants
Toxic chemicals can harm the health of people, wildlife, aquatic ecosystems
Related news
April 3, 2025
Expanding monitoring, protection efforts through collaboration
Event recap
May 8, 2026
Collaborating for clean water at a critical moment
Event recap