Priority Purification Level of Hudson River Basin

This project identifies environmentally sensitive zones in the Hudson Valley region, where poor water quality intersects with critical forest and biodiversity areas. By leveraging ArcGIS Pro, I carefully analyzed spatial datasets related to forest cover, water quality, biodiversity significance, and hydrology to determine which water bodies need the most immediate purification efforts. This analysis aims to assist conservation decision-making by highlighting high-risk river zones threatening ecological systems and water safety.

Observation:
Many river areas within the Hudson Valley currently do not meet safe water quality standards. These problem zones often overlap with regions of high forest coverage and biodiversity—areas that are ecologically valuable yet vulnerable to environmental degradation. The eastern and western portions of the region exhibit significant clustering of these at-risk water bodies, where natural resources are abundant but face the greatest environmental challenges.

Explanation:
The flowchart demonstrates the multi-step GIS analysis used to create the Water Purification Criticality map:
Forest Index data was reclassified to isolate areas with over 80% forest cover, forming the High Cover Rate Forest Area layer.
Biodiversity data was selected to emphasize Significant Biodiversity Areas in the Hudson Valley, which were then integrated with the high-forest-cover zones.
Hydrography data was clipped to the Hudson Valley boundary, serving as the study’s watershed framework.
Water Quality data was reclassified to identify Unsafe Water areas, which were buffered and intersected with the merged conservation layers to define Priority Protection Areas.
The final product, the Hudson River Dangerous Watershed map, reveals locations with poor water quality, high biodiversity, and dense forest coverage.
These overlapping layers pinpoint areas most in need of purification and habitat protection.

Results:
The GIS-based spatial overlay shows that critical risk zones are concentrated in both the eastern and western parts of the Hudson Valley. These areas demonstrate a notable convergence of unsafe water bodies, high forest density, and sensitive biodiversity zones. The analysis successfully highlights regions requiring urgent conservation action to protect water resources and maintain ecological health. Although challenges such as lengthy dataset processing times and limited demographic data were encountered, this project provides a solid foundation for informed environmental prioritization in watershed management.