long island Clean water action plan

Check out the Long Island Clean Water Partnership’s Action Plan.

Suffolk County Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan

In September 2019, Suffolk County and its Department of Health Services released its Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan (SWP). The plan is currently going through the SEQRA review process. This comprehensive study is a blueprint for solving the island’s nitrogen crisis. It is the first science-based study to examine more than 180 watersheds across the county and establish clean water targets for each.  To learn more about this historic study, please click here. The study makes a suite of recommendations that, if followed, will result in measurable improvements in water quality. The Long Island Clean Water Partnership applauds Suffolk County for this critical work and supports the passage and adoption of the plan.

Nassau County is expected to release a similar study in 2020.

FUND FOR CLEAN WATER

The Long Island Clean Water Partnership is calling for a dedicated revenue stream to implement the recommendations of the SWP.

This is the biggest environmental and economic challenge Long Island has ever faced. A 2014 report by IBM found that the complete overhaul of Long Island’s wastewater infrastructure could cost as much as $8 billion. However, the costs of doing nothing, and letting our environment degrade further, are even higher. Impaired water quality on Long Island has been linked to lower property valuations, loss in tourism dollars, damages from stormwater flooding, and increased wastewater treatment costs. We simply cannot afford not to address this issue. 

There are many ways to fund water quality improvement: tax credits, upgrade incentives, sales tax, bond act, water rate adjustments and many more. There must be financial assistance available for homeowners that are looking to replace their polluting septic system with new nitrogen-removing technology.

Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan

The Long Island Clean Water Partnership is heavily engaged in a critical plan to tackle nitrogen pollution throughout Long Island. 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) in partnership with local governments, members of the public and environmental organizations, including the Long Island Clean Water Partnership are in the process of creating a comprehensive, science-driven plan to tackle our largest water quality threat – nitrogen pollution. The New York State Legislature recently allocated 5 million dollars to fund the plan, called the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP).

The LINAP is set to assess nitrogen pollution in Long Island’s waters, identify sources of nitrogen, establish nitrogen reduction mechanisms and importantly, develop an implementation plan to achieve these crucial goals. 

The Long Island Clean Water Partnership will work to ensure the successful drafting, management and funding of LINAP in addition to assuring that the Plan is integrated with related State, County and local clean water efforts.

Click here to review all available documentation on LINAP, including the official scope of work.

Sewage treatment plant upgrades - Bay Park

The Western Bays is a sub-region of the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve, extending from the western boundary of the Town of Hempstead to the Nassau/Suffolk County line. They are home to the largest concentration of salt marshes in the South Shore Estuary Reserve. This system of bays and marshes provides critical habitat for birds and marine species, and offer abundant recreational opportunities for residents and tourists. Once productive fishing and shellfishing grounds, the water quality and habitat of the bays has deteriorated in recent decades, and much research still needs to be done to diagnose and fix the ecological problems seen in this region.

The Western Bays are dying. The science has been very clear: treated sewage effluent entering Reynolds Channel is choking the bays. The Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant discharges 50-60 million gallons of treated effluent a day. For over a decade, groups have advocated for significant upgrades to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, which includes denitrification, and an ocean outfall pipe. Nassau County recently announced a possible alternative solution that would avoid building a new ocean outfall pipe. By utilizing existing structures and the Cedar Creek outfall pipe, we can save money and time, which is a win-win for the Western Bays.