As Summer Approaches, NYC's Forgotten Waterfront Beckons

NEW YORK CITY — Summer weather is here and New Yorkers are poised to flock to the city's beaches. But New York City's 14 miles of public beaches are just a drop in the bucket of the water that city dwellers conceivably could swim in, paddle and otherwise enjoy.

Many New Yorkers forget the city itself is a string of islands strung along 520 miles of shoreline, said Michael Dulong, staff attorney for Riverkeeper, a group that advocates for clean water.

"I think it would improve the lives of New Yorkers to see it as an amenity, not just as the city line … or the end of the street,” he said.

The water around New York City is largely safe and has pretty good quality, according to regular tests conducted by Riverkeeper and other monitors.

But before you decide to take a refreshing plunge into the Hudson or East rivers, there are other factors to consider.

First, there are the waterways' strong currents.

Dulong said rivers have powerful flows and strong tidal actions from the harbor all the way up to Albany. Those currents — as well as their heavy boat traffic — make swimming dangerous for inexperienced swimmers in wide open waters, he said.

They also make sure the waterways are flushed very often, making them and their safer-for-swimming coves and inlets largely clean, he said.

"We do see pretty good water quality most of the time,” he said. “The problem is when it rains.”

About 60 percent of the city's sewers combine stormwater and sewage from buildings. When it rains, those overflow and dump raw sewage into the water.

Sewer overflows account for 21 billion gallons of raw sewage — or 72 Empire State buildings — going into the waterways around New York City every year, according to Cut The Crap NYC, a site devoted to eliminating poop-filled leaks into the rivers.

"During and after rainfall there can be bacteria in the water, other pollutants that you want to avoid,” Dulong said.

Luckily for swimmers, boaters, fishers, jet skiers and others in and around the water, the river and sun wash and burn away most harmful pathogens.

Generally speaking, mid-channel water stays safe and clean except for near combined sewer outflows, according to a Riverkeeper guide. Near shore water is a bit more of a mixed bag.

"Water quality near city and village waterfronts is most likely to be affected by street runoff and sewer overflows, while shorelines that are less developed generally have shown less impact from rain," the guide states.

Smaller creeks and other tributaries such as the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek are different story.

Tests show both fail to meet the EPA's standards for safe swimming, according to Riverkeeper.

Not only that, the Gowanus Canal is one of the most polluted waterways in the nation. Currently, crews are hard at work dredging the canal as part of a massive cleanup effort.

The potentially toxic water hasn't stopped swimmers from taking a dip, albeit for purposes other than recreation. An activist swam twice in the canal during 2016 to raise awareness for clean water, dnainfo reported.

"I've spent the last 20 years working for clean water and I've chosen to risk my body and my life to do that because I love the water," Christopher Swain, the activist, told dnainfo. "If wanting the Gowanus Canal to be swimmable is crazy, then yes, I'm completely insane."

Swimming in less-polluted and generally safe waterways such as the Hudson River is far from unheard of either.

The NYC Triathlon's swimming portion is conducted in the Hudson River, although this year the event is offering a "no swim" option for athletes who couldn't train for the swim because of the coronavirus. And groups like UrbanSwim and Sharkfest Swim conduct organized mass swims over to the Statue of Liberty.

In the future, there could be a big swimming option in the East River. The organizers behind Plus Pool — a proposed giant, plus-shaped floating pool with special water filtration that will be parked in the river — recently announced they got a go-ahead from the city.

Clean water is about more than just swimming, Dulong said. He views water as yet vital another open space that New Yorkers have come to value more and more.

New York City's waters are an important wildlife refuge, with fish migrating every day, dolphins visiting and whales not too far away. Kayakers and canoers have scores of paddling launches and options. And they have water trails to travel.

Dulong himself likes to take time to watch dragon boat racers in Flushing Bay.

"What we see is a vision for water use, to incorporate water for recreation,” he said. “As we saw during COVID, having open space is so important.”