What do those signs on the Long Island Expressway mean?
In November 2015, new signs began popping up along the Long Island Expressway alerting drivers of the watershed they were driving through. These signs read “Entering the… Long Island Sound, Peconic River or Carmans River Watersheds.” These signs are part of an important awareness and education effort that had long been advocated for by environmental groups and had finally been supported and implemented by the New York State Department of Transportation.
All of Long Island is a watershed, or an area of land that drains to a stream, river, lake, bay or wetland. This also means that all of our activity on land has the potential to impact our waters – unfortunately, various forms of pollution on land’s surface can runoff and interfere with the health of our watersheds. Sewage from aging or poorly maintained septic systems, lawn fertilizers, pet waste, car fluids, toxic household chemicals and garbage can all be carried into our water if we’re not careful.
These signs aim to protect our watersheds by reminding us that on Long Island, we must all make a concerted effort to protect our waters by taking careful actions on land to reduce pollution. Maintain your septic system annually; eliminate toxic pesticides and fertilizers or choose organic and biodegradable products when caring for your lawn; pick-up after your pets; fix any fuel or fluid leaks from your car and don’t wash hazardous materials off your driveway; and never litter or dump garbage, cigarettes, leaves or chemicals into storm drains.
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