Happy Earth Day! If you live on Long Island, you know our way of life is all about the water! Long Island is unique in that it is a sole source aquifer region, meaning that we rely on our underground groundwater aquifers as the sole source of our drinking water. Beaches, bays and harbors often set the scene for some of our favorite memories. Each Long Islander likely has a special memory tied to the water – a fun day on the beach with family, watching a beautiful sunset, or catching your first fish at a local pier. Long Island’s water also supports a multi-billion dollar regional economy that attracts visitors from around the world. Long Island is pretty amazing!
Unfortunately, our water quality has been declining throughout the years. Pollution from sewage, pesticides and toxic chemicals all threaten our waters. Fortunately, we can fix it. But action by local, county and state officials is needed right now. One thing’s for sure: the cost of fixing the water problem now will be far less than the cost of destroying Long Island’s drinking water and bays and harbors.
Just as there so many reasons to love Long Island’s waters, there are just as many reasons why we should all work to clean up Long Island’s waters.
We need to clean up Long Island’s waters to protect the sole source of our drinking water. 2.8 million Long Islanders rely on clean water to drink, bathe in and cook with.
We need to clean up and protect our water resources to ensure a healthy habitat for the countless plant and animal species that call Long Island home – many of which are endangered or threatened.
We need to work to address our water quality problems in order to restore our fisheries and our once-vibrant shellfishing industry.
We need to clean up Long Island’s waters to ensure a clean, healthy and beautiful environment for future generations.
On this Earth Day, join in on the every day effort to restore Long Island’s water quality – become a member of the Long Island Clean Water Partnership today! Tackling the issue of water quality is one of Long Island’s biggest environmental challenges. We need everyone to take notice and call for action.