ANEP: About Estuaries - Long Island Sound

About Estuaries:
Insights on the NEPs - Long Island Sound

In 1994, the States of New York and Connecticut and USEPA approved a plan to restore the ecosystem and improve the water quality-dependent uses so important to the regional economy.
Environmental Goals:

Reduce the load of nitrogen by 58.5% within 15 years.

Restore 2,000 acres of coastal habitat and 100 river miles used by migratory fish over the next 10 years.

Low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) is the most significant problem in the Sound, and a phased approach is being used to reduce levels of nitrogen which will result in improved oxygen levels. Having capped nitrogen loads from certain point sources and implemented low-cost improvements at sewage treatment plants, nitrogen loads are now 5,000 tons per year below peak levels.

The Habitat Restoration Initiative will complement nitrogen reduction efforts, as healthy habitats help filter nitrogen and other pollutants. Through a partnership of local, state, and federal organizations and agencies, more than 450 degraded sites have been identified and prioritized. Since 1998, Long Island Sound habitat restoration projects have been completed at 26 sites in Connecticut and 12 sites in New York.

For more information about the Long Island Sound Study:

Call (203) 977-1541

Write us at Stanford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd., Stamford, CT 06904-2152

E-mail us at tedesco.mark@epamail.epa.gov

Please visit our website at http://www.longislandsoundstudy.net