Peconic Estuary Partnership is thankful for all the partners that have helped make the Long Island Beach and Water Quality app. We are happy to announce that the app has officially launched! Download the app today.
Poor water quality is directly linked to human activities on land. In the Peconic Estuary, the primary sources of nitrogen pollution are wastewater from residential on-site septic systems and cesspools, fertilizers, and storm water runoff, in that order. Nitrogen loading can contribute to harmful algal blooms, low dissolved oxygen, and degraded aquatic habitats. Other pathogens, toxic contaminants, and plastic pollution can also affect water quality and make fish and shellfish unsafe to eat. As part of the 2020 PEP Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan and with advising from the PEP Technical Advisory Committee and Peconic Estuary Water Quality Monitoring Collaborative, PEP created the PEP Water Quality Monitoring Strategy to summarize existing water quality monitoring programs, assess water quality progress towards CCMP goals, and provide next steps to address gaps in data or information. PEP works with a number of partners to monitor the health of the estuary and water quality conditions.
Long Island’s groundwater and drinking water are held below the surface in a Sole Source Aquifer.
Check out more information below about ongoing water quality projects, technical reports, and archived projects in the Peconic Estuary
The annual PEP Water Quality Report tracks water clarity, chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, and dissolved oxygen to measure progress towards decreasing nutrient pollution in the Estuary.
There are many sources of water pollution to the Peconic Estuary, including wastewater, excessive fertilizer usage, pesticides, stormwater runoff, atmospheric deposition, and animal waste.
At PEP, we are working with our partners to reduce nitrogen and pathogen pollution caused by stormwater runoff and wastewater pollution.
PEP is funding many projects to help mitigate pollutants from entering the estuary and contaminating the surrounding ecosystem. Plastic pollution and toxic contaminants can concentrate in the environment and negatively affect humans, wildlife, and the environment.
