Surface water quality for both drinking and recreation can be highly impacted by a suite of contaminants that render the water unsuitable for consumption or use. A recent major problem in NYS water bodies is the presence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), where a certain set of conditions (both natural and anthropogenic) trigger their formation and proliferation. Other water quality issues arise from the direct release of contaminants into ground and surface waters at or below the microgram per liter level, thus earning them the label of “micropollutants”. Micropollutants span a wide array of chemical and biological contaminants. The overarching goal of WRI under this theme is to continue to be involved in conducting and funding research into the source, transport, and fate of contaminants in NYS waterways and systems.
