Experience the Hudson RiverToday, the Hudson's waters flow cleaner than they have in decades. Years of hard work by dedicated scientists, government officials, and river-lovers have opened the Hudson's shores to swimming, fishing, and boating.
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Experts say it's safe to swim in most of the Hudson most of the time — though things get dicey after it rains.
It is not safe for swimming, fishing or boating especially in rainstorms. The Harlem River, a 9.3 mile long natural straight, connects the Hudson and East Rivers in New York City.
The Hudson River, which flows 301 miles from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondacks to New York Harbor, is the longest river completely in New York State. It is also the deepest, reaching depths of over 200 feet in spots.
Predators like blue crabs and sturgeons do eat zebra mussels, but have never been shown to control natural populations. Research on new control measures, including biological controls, is ongoing, but the changes we've seen to the Hudson's ecosystem probably are irreversible or at least long-lasting.
For Your Health- In 1976, the Upper Hudson River was closed to fishing due to extremely high amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish. These levels posed a high risk of possible harmful health effects in humans. Since 1976, the manufacture of PCBs has been banned and their use phased out.
The Mississippi RiverThis once pristine waterway is perhaps the most polluted in the United States. Part of the problem stems from agriculture. The Mississippi River traverses much of America's heartland, drawing no end of runoff from factory farms. Animal waste isn't the only problem.
The Thames is considered to be the cleanest river in the world that flows through a major city. The Thames is home to 125 species of fish and more than 400 invertebrates. This is in spite of the fact that raw sewage is routinely pumped into the river during heavy rains.