Post 2: Getting Started

It's the end of week two of this research project and I have already had some pretty eye-opening experiences. Although most of my work has consisted of online research so far, I have been learning a lot and these experiences have definitely influenced my outlook on this project.

Coming into this project I didn't really know much about the surrounding watersheds in the Albany area. I knew a little about the Kromma Kill because there have been references in some of our environmental classes, and I helped collect water samples for a project almost two years ago. I had no clue as the what the nearby watersheds were even named, let alone what conditions they were in. When I learned that we would be working in the Patroon Creek watershed in Albany I knew that literary research was inevitable before going out into the field. Luckily Dr. Meierdiercks was prepared and had a bunch of sources ready for me to take a look at. Of course, I learned many things while reading these different sources. One was a report on a huge community project that has plans to improve the Tivoli Lake Preserve. This report spoke of many issues within the preserve that need to be addressed to better the Preserve so that it can reach its full potential as a nature preserve to be utilized by the community. I had realized that the water quality issues are not just an environmental concern, but a community concern. The citizens of Albany are aware of the poor environmental and geophysical quality, along with many safety issues within the Preserve, which made me think about the importance of environmental research. I used to be under the impression that environmentalists were the only ones who cared about environmental research considering how much I've been called out for being a "tree hugger" as an environmental science major. Reading this report has shown me that more and more people are becoming aware and concerned about local environmental issues and feel more inclined to do something about it.

Other sources that I read were research projects done by graduate students at SUNY Albany or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). These reports were very interesting to read and I definitely learned a lot about the Patroon Creek watershed. One thing that was always addressed in any of these reports was the fact that the Patroon Creek watershed is an urban watershed. It is located in the most urban part of Albany and has a history of so many different industrial neighbors. Not only has industrial waste been an issue, but there are other identified sources of pollution that have affected the Patroon Creek watershed. The first study I read was about road salt applications within the area. Water and soil samples were collected and analyzed for sodium and chlorine ion concentrations within the watershed. The study found that ion concentrations became elevated during the winter months (when road salt is at its peak use) but the high concentrations persist throughout the year. The elevated concentrations have been known to be very unhealthy for aquatic life and vegetation. Another study I read was about heavy metal contamination in the Patroon Creek. The levels of heavy metals found in the sediments were higher compared to other stream sediments and were understood to be detrimental to aquatic life. One of my fellow students conducted a study about the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish that are found in Rensselaer Lake and Tivoli Lake. In the three species populations he studied, he found 16 different heavy metals, four of which were very concerning at the levels he found.

All of these scientific studies were very intriguing and their results are a cause for major concern. As I am reading other sources, especially their discussions at the end of their reports, I start to realize something very unfortunate. These studies are concluding that there are major problems within the Patroon Creek watershed, but apparently there aren't enough contaminants for remediation action. A different study about heavy metals discussed the heavy metals found in the sediment but then concluded that according to certain guidelines there is no need for further cleanup; that "uranium soil cleanup criterion was exceeded" and that "uranium and thorium in all other off-site sediment samples...indicate that no further action is required in these areas." ..........What? I mean, yea maybe these contaminants aren't all concentrated into one area to cause detrimental damages, but isn't the fact they are present enough of a reason to call for action?

I think reading these conclusions really solidified why I wanted to be involved with this research project. I am definitely interested in doing field work, researching my environment, and discovering all of these different aspects of my environment. But doing this research will be able to uncover more unknown information about the Patroon Creek watershed that the community should know about. Even if our results conform to some sort of guidelines that do not require more cleanup in the area, hopefully they can add to the information the community needs to incite action for more remediation within the watershed.