The Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute has monitored the quality of water within the District since 1993.  The monitoring project was established to provide a general assessment of overall water quality in the Meadowlands estuary due to the legacy of contamination from landfills located within the District. The monitoring efforts also identify any large-scale, long-term trends in water quality, and detect any acute water quality problems.

Water samples are collected at 14 sites on the lower Hackensack River and its tributaries every quarter. The map below shows the location of these sites within the district

Water samples in the field are analyzed for temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, salinity, and pH. The water samples are then brought back to the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute laboratory for additional analysis.  The parameters being monitored are: ammonia, 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, hardness, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, turbidity, fecal coliforms, chloride, bromide, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, nickel and mercury. The metal species are analyzed for both the total and dissolved forms. PCB’s and OCP’s are also monitored from three stations. The MERI lab where samples are analyzed is certified NJDEP laboratory.

Please click the Environmental Monitoring Data option under the Scientific Data Tab to see the data.