​During Hudson 7’s (H7) monthly meeting in June, technical advisor (engineering) Paul Malmrose provided an update on two ongoing efforts related to Hudson River water management and modeling.

The first update summarized a recent call with the Hudson River–Black River Regulating District. The discussion focused on the District’s role in reducing flood risk throughout the Hudson River watershed and increasing river flows during low-flow conditions. It also included an overview of the District’s network of streamflow gauges, as well as the operational thresholds and triggers that guide when management actions are taken.
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The second update summarized a meeting with the Hudson River Salt Front team, and their ongoing work focused on the behavior and modeling of the salt front in the tidal Hudson River. The group discussed using existing hydrodynamic models to identify and track the salt front’s location, along with the key physical factors that influence its movement and a range of scenario conditions. The modeling scope covers the tidal Hudson River from the Troy Dam southward, with the Upper Hudson and Mohawk Rivers serving as the primary upstream inputs to the system.

​In January, the Hudson 7 was honored to host Captain John Lipscomb, who recently retired after serving as Riverkeeper’s boat captain since 2000. Over the course of his career, John has dedicated himself to the protection and restoration of the Hudson River.

Growing up in Irvington and Tarrytown, John developed a deep connection to the river, learning to swim and sail in its waters. In the early 1970s, he began apprenticing with WWII-era boat builders at Petersen’s Boatyard in Nyack, where he gained expertise in the maintenance and repair of wooden boats. He worked in both wooden and fiberglass boat repair and as a rigger, eventually becoming General Manager of Petersen’s from 1991 to 2000.

As Riverkeeper’s boat captain, John patrolled the Hudson River aboard the “R. Ian Fletcher,” a 36-foot Chesapeake Bay-style wooden vessel. From April to December, he traveled between New York Harbor and Troy, covering 4,000 to 5,000 nautical miles and monitoring pollution, tributaries, and waterfront facilities.

During the recent Hudson River Anchorages campaign, John served as a technical advisor to the Hudson 7, where the council voiced its concerns about the Coast Guard’s proposed redefinition of the Port of New York. This redefinition raised significant issues regarding the safeguarding of drinking water sources and the environment due to potential risks of hazardous spills from vessels carrying substances such as diesel fuel or heating oil. These spills could spread with tidal movements, threatening clean drinking water for the seven communities along the river. Through their collective efforts alongside Riverkeeper, Congressmen Ryan, Molinaro, and Lawler introduced the Hudson River Protection Act, which seeks to permanently ban the creation of additional anchorages between Yonkers and Kingston. This legislation passed the House of Representatives and is set to go before the Senate in May 2024. The Hudson 7 will continue to closely monitor this issue in the years ahead.
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Captain Lipscomb joined the council to recommend three priority issues for the Hudson 7 to focus on in the coming years:

1. Area Contingency Planning and Spill Drills – Continuing efforts to ensure effective spill response strategies for local risks.
2. Leachate and Wastewater Treatment Plant Pollution – Addressing ongoing environmental challenges related to landfill leachate and wastewater treatment plant discharge into the river.
3. CSX Rail Bridges and Potential Spills – Assessing the risks associated with CSX-owned rail bridges and the potential for hazardous material spills.
   
   

Captain John’s wealth of knowledge and dedication to the river will continue to guide the Hudson 7 as we work toward safeguarding the Hudson River as a drinking water source and the communities that rely on it.