A common summertime question around New York is: "Is the Hudson River safe to swim?" This has spurred Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the regional nonprofit organization Riverkeeper to carry out a joint study of water quality in the Hudson River. The program is the first to regularly test the water from New York Harbor to the river's upper reaches and to make the data available quickly to the public. It is aimed at pinpointing the processes that affect water quality, and will supply the government with sound science and, ultimately, help protect the public.