WHAT YOU CAN DO
Make a difference, help reduce pollution in our bays by installing rain barrels, reducing fertilizer use, and planting natives in your yard
Stormwater is rain or melting snow that flows over roads, parking lots, driveways and lawns entering a storm drain system or discharged directly into nearby waterbodies. Stormwater carries pollutants like motor oil, sediment, pet waste, garbage, fertilizers and pesticides that can be harmful to aquatic life and create human health risks. Harmful algal blooms, restricted shellfish harvest, and marine life die-offs have been linked to an excess of nutrients and other harmful chemicals in the Peconic Bay. Rain gardens and rain barrels reduce the amount of nutrients and chemicals that enter bodies of water.
Traditional lawns are usually a single species of non-native turfgrass. They offer very little food or shelter for wildlife, and keeping them green often relies on frequent mowing, watering, fertilizers and pesticides that can harm the insects, birds, and soil life around them.
Biodiversity, the variety of plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms in an area, keeps our local ecosystems healthy and resilient. A yard rich in native life supports pollination, natural pest control, healthy soil, and clean water.
You can boost biodiversity at home in a few simple ways:
Pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds move pollen from flower to flower so plants can produce fruit and seed. Roughly one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on them, and they keep wild plant communities and the animals that rely on those plants healthy. Many pollinators are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and disease.
Native plants are one of the best ways to help. They evolved alongside local pollinators, so they provide the nectar, pollen, and host plants these species need. For example, monarch butterflies can only lay their eggs on native milkweed. Planting a variety of natives that bloom from spring through fall gives pollinators food all season long, and skipping pesticides keeps them safe.
Stormwater runoff and wastewater carry excess nitrogen and other pollutants into our bays and down into the ground. On Long Island, that is a direct water quality concern for both nature and people.
Too much nitrogen fuels the harmful algal blooms and low-oxygen conditions that damage marine habitats, close shellfish beds, and cloud our waters. That same nitrogen can also seep into the sole source aquifer that supplies our drinking water.
Two of the most effective steps you can take are reducing nitrogen at the surface (through less fertilizer, native plantings, and rain gardens) and upgrading an outdated septic system. Modern nitrogen-reducing systems keep far more nitrogen out of our groundwater and bays.
Long Island sits above a federally designated sole source aquifer, which means the groundwater beneath our feet is the only source of drinking water for our communities. What happens on the land directly affects what comes out of the tap.
When stormwater runoff and outdated septic systems send excess nitrogen, bacteria, and chemicals into the ground, those pollutants can reach the aquifer we all depend on. Protecting water at home, by reducing runoff, cutting back on fertilizers and chemicals, and upgrading old septic systems, helps safeguard the drinking water we share.
Native plants are species that grew naturally in our region long before people introduced plants from other places. They are adapted to Long Island’s soils and climate, so once established they need little watering and no fertilizers. Their deep roots hold soil in place and help rainwater soak into the ground.
A rain garden is a shallow, planted low spot that collects rainwater from a roof, driveway or lawn and lets it slowly soak in. Planted with natives, a rain garden captures and filters stormwater runoff before it can carry pollutants to our bays.
Native plantings and rain gardens:
Homeowners in the Peconic Estuary watershed can get reimbursed up to $500 for a new native plant garden or rain garden through our Homeowner Rewards Program.
A rain barrel connects to your downspout and collects rainwater from your roof. Instead of running off your property as stormwater and picking up pollutants along the way, that water is saved for you to use later. One inch of rain on a 1,000 square foot roof produces more than 600 gallons of runoff, so even one barrel makes a difference.
How to set up a rain barrel:
Through our Homeowner Rewards Program, homeowners in the Peconic Estuary watershed can get reimbursed up to $100 per rain barrel.
Lawn fertilizers that plants do not absorb wash into storm drains or soak into the ground, carrying excess nitrogen into our groundwater and bays. Nitrogen pollution fuels harmful algal blooms (HABs), which block sunlight, use up oxygen as they decay, and can cause fish kills and damage eelgrass and shellfish beds. Some blooms produce toxins that are dangerous to people and pets.
Pesticides can harm bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, and can also reach our waters through runoff. Healthy soil and native plants are the best way to keep a yard looking good without chemicals.
Follow the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) nitrogen fertilizer recommendations on your property.
Learn more about environmentally friendly fertilizer use and pest management
A no mow area is a section of your yard that you stop mowing, or mow only once a year, so grasses and wildflowers can grow tall. It can be as small as a corner, a strip along a fence, or the edges of your property.
Taller, more varied plants provide food, nesting sites and shelter for pollinators, birds and other wildlife. A no mow area also means less time, fuel and noise spent on mowing, less need for watering and fertilizers, and deeper roots that help rainwater soak in and reduce stormwater runoff.
Tips for a no mow area:
Most homes in the Peconic Estuary watershed rely on cesspools or conventional septic systems. These systems were not designed to remove nitrogen, so wastewater carries it into our groundwater, the sole source aquifer we drink from, and eventually into our bays, where nitrogen pollution fuels harmful algal blooms.
Innovative and Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (I/A OWTS) are advanced septic systems that greatly reduce the amount of nitrogen in wastewater before it reaches the ground, protecting both our drinking water and our bays.
Grant funding is available to help pay for an upgrade. Suffolk County and New York State grants together can provide up to $45,000, and some towns offer additional rebates.
Learn more about upgrading your septic system and available grants
Pet waste left on lawns, sidewalks and trails does not just disappear. When it rains, bacteria and nutrients from pet waste wash into storm drains and straight into our waterways with stormwater runoff. Bacteria can make water unsafe for swimming and lead to shellfish bed closures, and the extra nitrogen feeds algal blooms.
Always pick up after your pet, bag the waste, and throw it in the trash. Never put pet waste in a storm drain.
Many common products, including cleaners, paints, motor oil, pool chemicals and pesticides, can be hazardous to people, pets and the environment. When they are spilled, poured down drains or dumped on the ground, they can end up in our groundwater and bays, harming water quality and wildlife.
Grass clippings left on the lawn after mowing break down quickly and return nutrients to the soil, which reduces how much fertilizer your lawn needs.
Fallen leaves are free, natural mulch. Rake them into garden beds or around trees, where they protect the soil, hold in moisture and suppress weeds as they break down. Leaves also give butterflies, moths, bees and other insects a place to spend the winter, which in turn feeds the birds that rely on them.
Keep clippings and leaves out of streets and storm drains. When stormwater washes them away, they carry nutrients straight to our waterways.
Nitrogen pollution is one of the biggest threats to water quality in the Peconic Estuary. Excess nitrogen from fertilizers, septic systems and stormwater fuels harmful algal blooms, low oxygen and the loss of eelgrass and shellfish habitat. Small changes at home add up.
PEP partnered with the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) to develop a “Reduce Nitrogen Pledge” for the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan. Check out 10 ways you can reduce your personal nitrogen inputs and take the pledge to be recognized as a leader in helping to combat nitrogen pollution in our community!
Homeowners who live within the Peconic Watershed can get reimbursed up to $500 for installing green infrastructure improvements on their properties including native plant gardens, rain gardens, and rain barrels.
An overview of the Homeowner Rewards Program and how to apply.
Download the Homeowner Rewards Program flyer (PDF)
Hosted on the Stony Brook University Geospatial Center Data Hub.
Utilize our Peconic Friendly Plant Database to discover Peconic friendly native plants and utilize the filters in the left hand menu to find plants that would be most suitable for your yard conditions.
Use this interactive tool to visually plan how to create your very own Peconic friendly yard.
Learn how to create a Peconic friendly yard with native plants and rain gardens, and how PEP helps fund them.
Download the Peconic Friendly Yards fact sheet (PDF)
Hosted on the Stony Brook University Geospatial Center Data Hub.
Simple lawn care practices that keep your yard healthy while reducing nitrogen pollution in our bays.
Download the lawn care fact sheet (PDF)
Hosted on the Stony Brook University Geospatial Center Data Hub.
A quick visual guide to Peconic friendly lawn care.
Download the lawn care graphic
Hosted on the Stony Brook University Geospatial Center Data Hub.
These free guides come from our partners at the Perfect Earth Project, a nonprofit that teaches toxic-free, nature-based gardening for healthy people, pets, and planet.
Resources courtesy of the Perfect Earth Project.
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