A new high-tech environmental monitoring station based at Marist
College in Poughkeepsie was unveiled Tuesday on the banks of the
Hudson River. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports. The
new station is part of a network of 15 sensors collectively
known as the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing
System, providing round-the-clock data on a range of variables—
such as temperature, salinity, and pH --- Stuart Findlay, an
aquatic ecologist at the Cary Institute, says the new station is
unique because it can collect actual water samples. The
Poughkeepsie station was funded through the US Environmental
Protection Agency, built in partnership with the U.S. Geological
Survey, the New York State Department of Conservation, the Cary
Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and Marist College. It
continuously monitors physical and chemical conditions of the
water, automatically collecting samples for the assessment of
toxics and pharmaceuticals. Gary Wall is a hydrologist with the
US Geological Survey. He says