Background:
The Long Island Sound, one of the nation’s greatest estuaries, is also of one of its most stressed. Though some improvement in water quality has been achieved in the last two decades, a great deal remains to be done to safeguard this vital water body. In the mid-1980s, the federal government and the States of New York and Connecticut commissioned the Long Island Sound Study, which resulted in a clean-up plan released in 1994. This plan, known as the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan or CCMP, identified seven issues that merit special attention:
- Low dissolved oxygen (principally a result of unacceptable levels of nitrogen)
- Toxic contamination
- Pathogen contamination
- Floatable debris
- Habitat degradation and loss
- Land use and development
- Public involvement and education Since that time, three Governor’s Agreements covering implementation of the Plan have been signed. In 2000, Congress passed the Long Island Sound Restoration Act, authorizing $40 million for nitrogen removal from pollution sources entering the Sound.
Solution:
- Ensure that municipalities comply with the nitrogen reduction targets and other mandates and recommendations contained in the CCMP.
- Work with the New York Congressional Delegation to see that Congress passes the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act which authorizes $40 million for land and habitat protection, and reauthorizes the Long Island Sound Restoration Act.
What you can do: