The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP) has a program where volunteers are trained to monitor the water quality of Raritan Bay during the summer by taking samples from 5 public access sites around Raritan Bay. They monitor pathogens for Fecal Coliform and Enterococcus. The water sampling in Perth Amboy is done at the end of Second St. You can look up the water quality of Raritan Bay starting May 23.

“The Bacteria data is reported in “real-time” on Friday afternoons to allow residents on the lower Raritan and others to make informed decisions about their on-water recreation activities for the weekend” says the website for the Lower Raritan Watershed. With the predicted extremely hot summer, people in Perth Amboy may want to know the water quality for recreational uses to cool off like unofficial bathing activities. The monitoring helps residents to have knowledge of the current water quality.

The other sampling sites include Riverside Park in Piscataway, Rutgers Boathouse at Boyd Park in New Brunswick, Edison Basin Boat Launch Edison Township, Ken Buchanan Riverfront Park in Sayreville and Raritan Bay Waterfront Park in South Amboy. These sites are non-bathing beach sites with active kayak/canoe launches and/or fishing and other water activities. This water quality monitoring is greatly appreciated as it is not regularly monitored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection or the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services.

The water sampling has been done since Summer of 2019. It was reported by LRWP Volunteer Water Monitor Irene Riegner that the 2023 summer monitoring revealed the cleanest water yet.

You can see the water quality updates on the Lower Raritan Watershed Facebook page and website.