The sun was shining on this group of paddlers out for a scenic canoe trip on the Quinnipiac River. Hosted by the New Haven Land Trust on Saturday, August 23rd, the trip launched from the end of Clifton Ave. and wound its way past tidal wetlands and the Quinnipiac Meadows/ Eugen B. Fargeorgee Preserve.
“Tires—loads and loads and loads of tires—may arrive on the shores of Fair Haven if a growing recycling company gets its wish.” From the New Haven Independent: http://bit.ly/1nIhKKa
photos by Ian Christmann
Made infamous by the movie Erin Brokovich, the compound hexavalent chromium is a classified carcinogen, of controversial concern in drinking water as the film’s storyline reveals. But what, if any, impact does it have on the ecosystems of non-drinking source waterways, such as the Quinnipiac River?
Prior to the 1990s, hexavalent chromium was widely used in industry. Today, it is mainly used in electro-plating, leather-tanning, wood preservation and the manufacture of plastic and dyes. Hexavalent chromium is most dangerous when chronically inhaled through dust, fumes or mist, a risk in “hot work” such as welding stainless steel or the use of certain spray paints and coatings. When it comes to hexavalent chromium’s impact in water, many questions still remain. Soluble compounds are a weaker carcinogen, however, according to a 2011 study of hexavalent chromium in drinking water, published by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, “there is now sufficient evidence that hexavalent chromium is also carcinogenic by the oral route of exposure, based on studies in rats and mice conducted by the National Toxicology Program.”
Empowered by a grant from the Quinnipiac River Fund (a component fund of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven), Yale University is helping shed further light on hexavalent chromium by measuring its concentration in storm water run-off in the Quinnipiac River watershed.
During heavy rains, water drains off large impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and roads, throughout Central Connecticut. Much of it eventually exits into the Quinnipiac River. In the past, combined sewer overflows brought all sewer water (both rain and sewage) to be treated in sewage plants. Unfortunately, with heavy rain conditions, the systems often overflowed, allowing raw sewage into rivers. New laws required sewer separation, bringing only raw sewage to treatment plants and draining rainwater directly to rivers and water bodies. Sewer separation solved the problem of sewage overflows, but created a new unique problem: heavy metal pollutants, such as hexavalent chromium, in surface run-off are being deposited, untreated, into the river.
Not only do large paved areas transport pollutants, but when it comes to hexavalent chromium, the concrete itself is a suspected source of the compound, making the highly developed Quinnipiac River watershed a perfect testing ground. Results of the testing are confirming concrete as a source, with higher concentrations of hexavalent chromium being found in watershed’s tributaries that are downstream of areas with more urban land cover, a relationship that is especially clear while it’s raining.
The Quinnipiac River Fund awarded Yale University a grant in March of 2013 to support the measurement of hexavalent chromium concentrations and chemical behavior in storm water within the watershed and in the River itself. The Fund has supported numerous research studies of chemical pollution in the River and its effects on species of flora and fauna that call the Quinnipiac home.
“I grew up fishing this river,” said Joe Tkack as he bent down to help his daughter release a 16” rainbow trout into the Quinnipiac River. “It’s great to be able to share what I did in the past and enjoy the outdoors with her.” For Joe’s daughter Josselyn, who is eight years old, along with the dozens of other children who attended QRWA’s annual fish stocking, the fun was in the bucket. Kids, with their adults in tow, lined up beside the Harding Trout Farm truck, anxiously awaiting their turn to be handed a bucket, and see what it holds inside: a brook trout, rainbow trout, a new hybrid tiger trout, and sometimes, to the kids’ delight, two trout in one bucket. The trout ranged from 12 – 20”, with the bigger ones generating the most excitement.
In total, more than 50 people of all ages helped release the 226 trout in five locations beside the Quinnipiac River Gorge in Meriden. At each location, small groups gathered by the river’s edge to carefully tip the fish buckets into the river, causing many to speculate whether they might catch that same trout during fishing season, which officially opened on Saturday, April 19.
The Quinnipiac River Fund has been a longtime supporter of the QRWA, funding it efforts to recruit volunteers in the community to be advocates and stewards of the Quinnipiac River.
MERIDEN — About 50 people participated in the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association’s Annual River Cleanup Saturday morning. Volunteers removed refuse from both the water and its banks.
Nine primary cleanup points were established along the north shore of Hanover Pond and the mouth of Harbor and Sodom brooks. Sites included the end of Pleasant Street, the Platt High School side of Coe Bridge, a floodplain behind Wilcox Technical High School and three areas of the Linear Trail.
Cleanup coordinator David James said the waterways are impacted by both long-term and recent debris accumulations. Long-term buildup has happened over generations and consists of larger, heavier items that have been dumped into the water, such as tires, mattresses, and car seats.
Read more on myrecordjournal.com
New Haven celebrates community and the Q River
The Associated Press recently reported that a court has ordered three New Haven companies and their operator to pay nearly $750,000 in penalties for violations of the state’s hazardous waste and air pollution control laws.
Bruno Suraci Jr. operates the metal finishing businesses at two locations in New Haven, including one along the Quinnipiac River.
The state of Connecticut had alleged violations including improper storage, lack of proper permits and failure to conduct inspections. State officials say employees, the public and the environment were exposed to serious risks.
Click here for more information.
Deadline to Apply for Funding is January 17, 2014
The Quinnipiac River Fund, a component fund of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, announces that grants are available for projects designed to benefit the environmental quality of the Quinnipiac River, the New Haven Harbor, and surrounding watersheds. Approximately $100,000 in grants is awarded each Spring from the Fund, which was established in 1990 as a result of a legal settlement between the National Resources Defense Council, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and the Upjohn Corporation. The Quinnipiac River Fund serves as Connecticut’s only permanent endowment working solely to protect and preserve the Quinnipiac River and its watersheds.
The Committee will consider those grant proposals that address one or more of the following:
1. Research what pollutants are in the Quinnipiac River
2. Research methods of reducing pollution, or otherwise improving the Quinnipiac River’s environmental health
3. Address means of reducing both non-point and point sources of pollution to the River
4. Research the permitting process and look at the permits themselves
5. Study the ecology of the Quinnipiac River and the New Haven Harbor
6. Provide public education about the Quinnipiac River and its watershed
7. Purchase land on the Quinnipiac River for conservation purposes, or to reduce pollution and improve public access to the River.
Contact Denise Canning at dcanning@cfgnh.org or 203-777-7076 for more information.
The days of factories discharging heavy metals and homes flushing untreated waste directly into the Quinnipiac River are thankfully a thing of the past. But as industries and lifestyles have changed, so have their toxic byproducts. A new generation of chemical pollution is making its way into the river and surrounding watershed. By measuring these pollutants and tracking their effects on the ecosystem, local researchers are gathering the data needed to help create water protections for the 21st Century with support from The Quinnipiac River Fund.