Water Quality
Water Quality > Tributary and Waterfront Data > Rondout Creek

Rondout Creek

Citizen Testing Sites

Water Quality Conditions by Location

Recent Samples Historical Statistics
Site Name (Watershed) Sample Date [i] Entero Count
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Entero Count

Enterococcus (“Entero”) is a fecal indicating bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals.

[i] 4 Days Total Rain (in)
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4 Days Total Rain (in)

The combined rainfall for the day of sampling, prior day, two days prior and three days prior. More than 1/4 inch is considered a “wet weather sample.”

[i] Number of Samples
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Number of Samples

Total number of samples included in these calculations.

[i] Geometric
Mean
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Geometric Mean

A measure of central tendency (a weighted average) used by NYS DEC and the US EPA to assess water quality. The geometric mean is defined as the nth root (where n is the number of samples) of the product of the Enterococcus measurements. A geometric mean over 30 fails the EPA criteria for safe primary contact.

[i] Maximum
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Maximum

The highest Enterococcus count we have recorded at this site (“>” indicates an unknown number greater than this number and reflects the upper limit of our scoring ability for this sample).

[i] Minimum
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Minimum

The lowest Enterococcus count we have recorded at this site (“<” indicates an unknown number less than this number and reflects the lower limit of our scoring ability for this sample).

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Individual Entero Counts by Site

Note: multiple counts of the same value will overlap and appear as one dot.

Water Quality*

Acceptable (0–60) Beach Advisory (61+)

*Single sample thresholds;
Enterococcus count per 100mL

Prior Four Day Rainfall
(in inches)

Dry Weather (0–0.25) Wet Weather (0.25+)

Geometric Mean*

Acceptable (0–30) Unacceptable (31+)

*Weighted average of multiple
samples; Enterococcus count
per 100mL

The Rondout-Wallkill watershed is the Hudson River Estuary’s largest tributary. The portion of the Rondout watershed from the Catskill headwaters to the Rondout Reservoir is part of New York City’s drinking water supply. Riverkeeper’s citizen sampling partners test for Enterococcus at 18 locations downstream of the reservoir.

Rondout Creek exits the reservoir and the Catskill Mountains at Napanoch. Here it is joined by the Sandburg Creek and turns northeast to flow along the west side of the Shawangunk Ridge. The valley soon widens, and farms and orchards cover the floodplain until the creek reaches Rosendale, where forest land cover again predominates. The Wallkill River merges with the Rondout at Tillson, about seven miles upstream of the creek’s mouth at the Hudson. The tidal portion of the Rondout Creek is a spawning area for migratory fish and an overwintering area for bass.

There are many swimming holes and fishing areas along the Rondout and its tributaries, including some Hudson Valley favorites.

Read Riverkeeper’s 2021 data report for the Rondout Creek Watershed.

 

SAMPLING PARTNERS

Rochester ECC Members_1Riverkeeper partners with the Town of Rochester Environmental Conservation Commission to sample locations in and around Accord, and with the Town of Wawarsing Environmental Conservation Commission to sample locations upstream of there. In other parts of the watershed, Riverkeeper coordinates concerned citizens.

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  • Water Quality Data and Impairments

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