Introducing New York River Watch

New York River Watch, formerly the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative, is a new organization that embraces a holistic approach to protecting New York’s rivers. Our team brings nearly fifty (50) years of experience protecting the Hudson River and its tributaries—a legacy of dedication poured into this work. The Leachate Loophole campaign remains our primary focus, exposing regulatory gaps that allow landfill leachate—a toxic garbage soup loaded with harmful chemicals—to flow untreated into rivers and streams. This harmful practice threatens the health of millions of New Yorkers and the wildlife that depend on these essential water sources. New York River Watch is leading the movement to advocate for comprehensive, sustainable statewide solutions.

This campaign began in 2023 by raising awareness about landfill leachate contamination in the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers—drinking water sources for nearly 370,000 people. With generous support from donors and fiscal sponsorship from the Good Work Institute, we released a landmark report in December 2024 titled, The Threat of Landfill Leachate to Drinking Water in the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. The report revealed that municipal sewage treatment plants, which cannot filter out harmful chemicals, discharge 89 million gallons of toxic leachate into these rivers every year.

Building on this momentum and the urgent need to address this problem, we expanded our work statewide in 2025, launching New York River Watch. Our latest results show that over half a billion gallons of toxic landfill leachate are discharged untreated into rivers, lakes, and streams across New York each year, with a substantial proportion entering drinking water sources. This is not just pollution—it’s a direct and preventable threat to public health, wildlife, drinking water, and the environment. We are literally poisoning our communities to keep landfills operating cheaply. We are a fiscally sponsored project of the Good Work Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For more information, contact Rebecca Martin, Executive Director at newyorkriverwatch@gmail.com  

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