NJ DEP: Hudson Now Safe For Recreational Use

Bacteria levels in the Hudson River have fallen to “within health safety standards and well below levels of concern,” the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announced late in the day Thursday, clearing the way for recreational activities such as boating, kayaking and fishing to resume.

The NJDEP has been monitoring and taking water samples from the Hudson River since the July 15 fire and resulting two-day raw sewage dump into the river from the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant across the river from Edgewater in Harlem. The department determined that the discharge has had “no impact” on New Jersey’s shoreline, officials said.

If you’re planning to head down the shore this weekend, the NJDEP has good news for you as well: New Jersey’s beaches have been cleared for swimming.

The NJDEP will continue monitoring the river, officials also said.

Although most of NJDEP’s efforts have been concentrated on Jersey Shore beaches, the department's interactive map shows monitoring locations close to Fort Lee—one to the north in Englewood Cliffs, and one just south in Edgewater.

For updates and information on water quality at New Jersey beaches, click here.