Meet the Team Who Checks NYC's Beaches for Sewage

A research scientist with New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene focuses on microbes in pools, spas, and saunas year-round, then shifts to ocean and shoreline testing as warmer weather approaches. A team of five scientists visits beaches, bays, and rivers to assess swimming safety. They wade into open water wearing waist-high waders, submerge test tubes, and collect samples without sediment or debris. Rain is identified as a major threat because combined sewer overflow can mix excess stormwater with untreated or partially treated sewage. Testing begins about a month before beaches open to determine how long water has remained clean. After collection, samples are taken to a Manhattan lab for flora substrate testing.

"Bonamusa is part of a team of five scientists who visit the miles of shoreline along the ocean, bays, and rivers in New York City to make sure they're safe for swimming. Donning waist-high waders, they plod into open waters and submerge test tubes to take samples, making sure they get a scoop without sediment or debris. The biggest threat to the water quality at some beaches is rain, and the dreaded combined sewer overflow - when excess stormwater mixes with untreated or partially treated sewage, turning a trip to the ocean into an iffy-at-best excursion."

"On a recent April morning, Bonamusa kicked off the summer's testing along the Rockaway peninsula, starting at Beach 9th Street and traveling west to test the private beaches at Breezy Point. As she went, she spotted a dolphin swimming not too far from where she took a sample. The scientists begin testing a month before beaches open to get a fuller picture of water quality, she said. "That tells us how long the beach has been clean for," she said in between collecting water."

"Once she's finished, Bonamusa drives them to the health department lab in Manhattan. Once there, the water is exposed to a type of food for what's called "flora substrate testing.""

Read at Brownstoner