Interstate Environmental Commission

Thank you to Hudson River Park for organizing SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival this past Saturday. We had a great time showing everyone who came what a day of our water quality testing looks like!🧫💧

Checking out some new sampling sites on Prospect Park Lake for the Volunteer Monitoring Program!💧

Perfect day for the Western Long Island Sound May run this past Tuesday! 🌊💙

Weekly sampling on the Harlem River looked different every week this month as the trees started to bloom. From the first bloom of cherry blossoms to the green trees covering the hill, April was a beautiful month at this site!

As it’s warming up again, we were able to install light and dissolved oxygen sensors in Staten Island for the second season! These sensors help to monitor conditions for planted eelgrass to see if they are in a good environment to survive.🌱

April marks the start of our weekly recreational sampling season, which means it’s time for ! The 604b New York Monitoring Program’s boat run goes along the East River and down to Coney Island Creek, with some gorgeous city views along the way. 🌊🗽

The Long Island Sound Monitoring Program 2025 Hypoxia Season Summary, produced by Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), is now available on CTDEEP’s website. This annual report uses dissolved oxygen and related water quality parameters to visualize the extent and duration of hypoxia in the Long Island Sound during the summer. Data for this report is produced during surveys conducted by IEC and CTDEEP through the Long Island Sound Monitoring Program, funded by the Long Island Sound Partnership. Check it out:

https://ctdeepwatermonitoring.github.io/LIS_Hypoxia_Report/2025-Hypoxia-Season-Review.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQ7lw9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe18rnBa-ojTLjxtXTbZdG_ntKP7XwlEZuCanrG5VVs4K7oCoJoRO9t9HpOoU_aem_LunY00WFmONB81WQ8Y8PBg

Following the close of BioBAT's exhibit "Water Stories," highlighting the collaboration between art and science, artist Yoko Shimizu's installations have been moved into IEC's office. This work features lEC's water quality monitoring efforts displayed as unique art pieces. Among these pieces are a collection of photographs of our field and lab work taken when Yoko joined our team. The collaboration between art and science is an important part of environmental education and outreach, and we are excited to have this beautiful representation of these efforts!

This winter was a particularly challenging one for our winter sampling, with thick sheets of ice covering many of the waterbodies in the interstate district and occasionally preventing our boats from getting out to sample. IEC staff continued sampling as much as possible, driving out to land sites in freezing temperatures to collect samples. In some cases, this required breaking through a thick layer of ice in order to reach water. However, life and ecological processes continue under the surface year-round, and winter sampling is crucial to understand the health of our waterways and inputs that can affect this in the winter. Thanks to our staff for continuing to collect samples as much as possible in these difficult conditions-we are ready for the warmer weather! ❄️💧

This past February, three of lEC's environmental analysts attended the annual New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference, which brings together aquatic and environmental biologists from the Northeast to share water-related research across various disciplines. Our analysts presented posters to attendees about our new Eelgrass Restoration Pilot in conjunction with HEP and our water quality monitoring program in the New York-New Jersey Harbor, and participated in discussions about IEC's various programs. Check out their posters!