Riverkeeper: Hudson River Often Unsafe For Swimming

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY (WCBS 880 / AP) - At the Cocktail Cove in Croton-On-Hudson, boaters sunbathe and kids jump off boats into the Hudson River. While the water looks pristine and sparkling, a new study shows it’s anything but.

WCBS 880′s Catherine Cioffi In Westchester County

The environmental group Riverkeeper found that sewage pollution makes the river unsafe for swimming 21 percent of the time at sites from New York City to Troy.

“That’s about one and a half days a week,” says Riverkeeper Boat Captain John Lipscomb.

The study says that’s three times as often as at beaches nationwide.

The report is based on monthly samples taken between 2006 and 2010 that were tested for bacteria linked to sewage. The samples came from 75 sites along the length of the 155-mile river.

There are only four designated swimming beaches on the Hudson. However, the report says there are more than 100 places where people go into the water.

The report says government testing must be improved and the Clean Water Act must be enforced to prevent sewage pollution.

“The Hudson River is being treated as a 155-mile beach. Now is the time to really start answering the question – just how’s the water?” Lipscomb says.

Would you swim in the Hudson? Let us know below…

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