Protecting & Restoring Long Island's Peconic Bays

PEP Accomplishments

PEP is making significant change. See here for accomplishments and current PEP projects.

Established in 1987 under the Clean Water Act, the National Estuary Program (NEP) operates through partnerships with EPA and other public and private sector entities to “identify, restore, and protect nationally significant estuaries of the United States.” The NEP hosts locally-based, stakeholder driven programs that are non-regulatory, collaborative initiatives working with the community to craft and implement action plans to solve environmental problems at the watershed level.

Image of the National Estuary Program Map
There are 28 National Estuary Programs across the continental United States and Puerto Rico. In 1992, the Peconic Estuary became the 20th estuary in the nation to receive the designation as an “Estuary of National Significance” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Established in 1992, the Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) integrates environmental and economic issues for all east-end towns and has brought over $13 million in federal grant funding to the Peconic Estuary watershed.

One major aspect of the Peconic Estuary Partnership’s leadership is its effective use of funds provided by EPA to leverage additional support.

The NEP’s exemplify efficient and effective governance.  For every one dollar provided by the federal government, $19 is contributed by NEP’s non-federal partners. For example, the Peconic Estuary Partnership used its annual NEP grant to secure an additional $22 million in leveraged resources from public and private funders. The resources were used to help address Peconic Estuary’s priority problems, including: nutrients, pathogens, toxic chemicals, harmful algae, loss of critical habitats and natural resource threats.

Peconic Estuary Partnership provides program and project updates!

Search here for PEP Program Updates

Check out the PEP Goal pages to view projects PEP is moving forward!

Resilient Communities Prepared for Climate Change

Clean Waters

Healthy Ecosystem with Abundant, Diverse Wildlife

The Value of PEP to our Stakeholders>>>
Accomplishments Over 25 Years>>>

The Value of PEP to our Stakeholders

The PEP provides leadership and coordination to restore and maintain the water quality and ecological integrity of the Peconic Bays and the surrounding watershed. The work of the PEP protects water quality and in turn improves the condition of shellfish, fish, and wildlife. These efforts are critical to preserving the quality of life for all Suffolk County residents and promote local and regional economies that increasingly rely on tourism, recreational fishing, boating, and other water-dependent industries.

The PEP is a comprehensive, regional, watershed-based program, the perfect mechanism to implement programs and initiatives that can result in measurable water quality improvements. PEP’s watershed management plan, or Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan, represents a regional consensus on the water quality improvement action agenda. As a result, the PEP helps to shape other regional water quality projects and programs and increases Federal and State funding attention on those priority actions. Stakeholder participation in this regional water quality planning effort is beneficial to all as it incorporates the local interests very effectively into a regional strategy.

Accomplishments Over 25 Years

Water Quality Improvements

Habitat Improvements

Land Protection

Climate Adaptation

Monitoring the Estuary’s Health

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