In 1969 the Cuhayoga river in Cleveland, OH, was so polluted it caught on fire. In 1983, after 30 years of GE dumping more than 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the river, the EPA declared 200 miles of the Hudson River a superfund site. Oil spills, industrial discharges, leaking landfills, widespread pesticide use, sewage treatment plant discharge, urban runoff … for decades we did everything we could to pollute our rivers and kill any life left in them.
A lot has been accomplished since the Clean Water Act was written into law in 1972. Since 1993, the Manhattan Island Foundation has organized swims in the Hudson River to promote the rejuvenation of the city’s rivers and raise money for New York City’s Learn to Swim programs. Up until a few years ago, swimmers were required to get shots - tetanus, gamma globulin or Hep A - but nowadays, shots are no longer necessary and the foundation organizes 10 swims per year in NYC waters. By 2009, the entire Hudson River is supposed to be swimmable.
I had always wanted to do a swim in NYC and grabbed the opportunity when I saw a swim advertised for the weekend I was going to be in NYC visiting friends. It was the one-mile Park to Park swim along Battery Park. The water temperature of 75 degrees would make a wetsuit unnecessary and the swim was scheduled for the afternoon, which meant that I could enjoy the city’s nightlife without dreading an early swim start the next morning.
The atmosphere was casual with just over 100 swimmers competing, and the organizers and volunteers had everything under control. One by one we lined up and jumped into the river bobbing up and down in the wakes of the boats passing by until everybody was ready to go. A last look at the distant Statue of Liberty and we were off swimming north along the sea wall. The scenery was great, on the right Manhattan’s skyscrapers appeared along with a few spectators looking down on us, on the left, the skyline of New Jersey. I had gotten myself soaking wet with Hudson river water for the first time earlier in the day while kayaking at 72nd street and remembered how the guy warned me “stay north of here and close to the shore, you don’t want to end up in New Jersey”. You got that right! Do I look like I want to be run over by a tanker?
Although I wasn’t too concerned about water quality, I was more aware than usual and did notice a taste slightly reminiscent of oil and chemicals mixed with salt water. About 24 minutes after race start I sprinted towards the finish line and a bottle of clean cold water. It was a fun, fast swim without strong currents, and it turned out that I miraculously placed in the top ten. The best part, however, was the free post-race massage, hanging out with an old friend and being called an “extreme athlete” by the New York Metro newspaper. Yay, who knew swimmers were this cool?!
Now that I have swam in the Boston Harbor and the Hudson River, I can’t wait for the Charles River to become swimmable. There is talk of reopening beaches at some point in the not so distant future, which seems to me should be preceded by a few attention-grabbing swims. I’m willing to help organize. Bring it on!!
NY Metro article link not working. Congratulations to the “extreme athletes” which includes all those willing to swim in city water of questionable safety.