Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan (Executive Summary)

January 2014 S0FF0LK C00NTY C0NPREBENSIvE WATER RES00RCES NANAuENENT PLAN| ES-1
Introduction

Water |s the s|ng|e most s|gn|f|cant resource for whlch Suffolk CounLy bears
responslblllLy. As Lhe lmpacL of SupersLorm Sandy underscored, more Lhan aL
any Llme ln our hlsLory, we are obllged Lo come Lo Lerms, ln every sense, wlLh
Lhe waLer LhaL surrounds us. Suffolk CounLy's waLer quallLy ls aL a Llpplng polnL.
We face an alarmlng Lrend ln Lhe quallLy of Lhe waLer our famllles drlnk,
compounded by lmpalrmenL of many bodles of waLer ln whlch our famllles
play. Moreover, Lhe source of Lhese lmpalrmenLs has demonsLrably degraded
Lhe weLlands LhaL serve as our lasL llne of naLural defense agalnsL sLorm surge.

Whlle Loday our drlnklng waLer generally meeLs quallLy sLandards, elevaLlng
levels of conLamlnanLs ralse serlous concern. Many of our rlvers, esLuarles and
bays are lmpalred as resulL of euLrophlcaLlon. nlLrogen, whlch prlmarlly spews
from resldenLlal sepLlcs and cesspools, as well as ferLlllzer, are Lhe prlnclpal
culprlLs LhaL spur hypoxla, harmful algal blooms, dlmlnuLlon of sea and
shellflsherles, and degradaLlon of our proLecLlve naLural lnfrasLrucLure-
weLlands and seagrass beds LhaL acL as wave and sLorm surge buffers
1

2
. Sea
level rlse, whlch also conLrlbuLes Lo marshland degradaLlon, ls pro[ecLed Lo ralse
groundwaLer levels, lncreaslng vulnerablllLy Lo salLwaLer lnfllLraLlon, and furLher

1
Deegan LA, Johnson DS, Warren RS, Peterson BJ, Fleeger JW, Fagherazzi S, and Wollheim WM (18 Oct 2012) Coastal
Eutrophication as a Driver of Salt Marsh Loss Nature : doi:10.1038
2
Anderson ME, McKee Smith J, Bryant DB, and McComas, RGW. (Sept 2013), Laboratory Studies of Wave Attenuation
through Artificial and Real Vegetation USACE, It is generally acknowledged that vegetated coastal features such as wetlands
can reduce the effects of surge, waves, and tsunami propagation.

Executive Summary


xecotlve 5ommoty
compromlslng on-slLe wasLewaLer LreaLmenL lnfrasLrucLure largely composed of
cesspools and sepLlc Lanks.

erhaps nowhere have we seen Lhe lmpacL of nlLrogen polluLlon ln more sLark
Lerms Lhan Lhe CreaL SouLh 8ay. AL one Llme, Lhls bay produced more Lhan half
Lhe clams eaLen ln our counLry. Powever, over Lhe pasL quarLer-cenLury, Lhe
clam harvesL ln Lhe CreaL SouLh 8ay has fallen by 93 percenL, desLroylng an
enLlre lndusLry whlch accounLed for 6,000 [obs. Whlle clams were once over-
harvesLed, Lhey have largely falled Lo recover due Lo recurrenL brown Lldes fed
prlmarlly from nlLrogen from sepLlc sysLems and cesspools. We musL declde lf
Lhls Lype of lmpalred surface waLer body wlll be our reglon's fuLure or lf we can
resLore our bays Lo healLh.

ln advance of Lhe release of Lhe 2014 Suffolk CounLy Comprehenslve WaLer
8esources ManagemenL lan (Comp lan"), Lhls LxecuLlve Summary updaLe ls
spoLllghLlng Lhe Comp lan's crlLlcal flndlngs, and relevanL posL-SupersLorm
Sandy conslderaLlons, ln order Lo spur a crlLlcal publlc dlalogue abouL Lhe scope
of Lhe problem and begln Lo frame near-Lerm soluLlons. Whlle many
envlronmenLal lssues relaLed Lo groundwaLer and surface waLers have arlsen
slnce Lhe prevlous lan (1987), one elemenLal condlLlon has remalned consLanL:
Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of Suffolk resldenLs rely on on-slLe wasLewaLer dlsposal
sysLems LhaL dlscharge Lo groundwaLer. ln addlLlon, ferLlllzer use, lndusLrlal and
commerclal solvenLs, peLroleum producLs, pesLlcldes and a hosL of oLher
manmade conLamlnanLs have had profound and long-lasLlng lmpacLs on
groundwaLer quallLy, as well as on fresh surface waLers and coasLal marlne
waLers lnLo whlch groundwaLer and sLormwaLer runoff dlscharge.

ln Lhe face of sea-level rlse and exLreme weaLher evenLs, Suffolk CounLy ls
compelled Lo devlse Lhe means and meLhods Lo llve and Lhrlve wlLh Lhe waLer
beneaLh, by and around us.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Critical Findings
we bove o mlllloo ooJ o bolf people, opproximote/y 70X, ot tooqbly o mlllloo
people, wbo ote not sewered. 1bls ls ptobobly tbe ooly ploce lo tbe wotlJ wltb
tbot lotqe o Jeoslty lo tbls tlqbt o spoce wbete tbe woste ls qoloq loto o sole
sootce opolfet lmmeJlotely beoeotb os tbot wete Jtlokloq, ooJ tbls ls o biq
concern.
3

Downward 1ra[ectory |n Groundwater ua||ty:
1. nlLrogen ls publlc waLer enemy #1, as n|trate contam|nat|on from
unsewered houslng and ferLlllzer use poses a LhreaL Lo boLh drlnklng
waLer supplles and coasLal marlne hablLaL and resources. nlLrogen-
lnduced nuLrlenL loadlng and euLrophlcaLlon can lead Lo many negaLlve
lmpacLs on esLuarlne envlronmenLs lncludlng harmful algal blooms,
hypoxla [llLLle or.], and even anoxla [no oxygen],
2. volaLlle organlc chemlcals (vCCs), anoLher pr|or|ty contam|nant,
derlves from commerclal, lndusLrlal, and consumer use, lmpacLlng large
porLlons of Lhe aqulfer, publlc waLer supply and prlvaLe wells,
3. esLlcldes pose a threat, especlally Lo prlvaLe wells ln agrlculLural areas,
and,
4. harmaceuLlcals and personal care producLs are an emerg|ng concern.

Surface Water Impa|rments:
3. Long lsland's enLlre 60-mlles long SouLh Shore LsLuary 8eserve was
declared lmpalred by Lhe new ?ork SLaLe ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal
ConservaLlon (n?SuLC) ln 2008.
6. 8rown Llde algae lnvaslons have been plagulng Long lsland esLuarles for
nearly a quarLer of a cenLury, accordlng Lo ur. Chrls Cobler of SLony
8rook's School of Marlne & ALmospherlc Sclences (SoMAS) obllLeraLlng
a shellflsh hablLaL LhaL once provlded one half of all hard clams for Lhe
naLlon.
7. 1here was an 18-36 loss of Lldal weLlands beLween 1974-2001
accordlng Lo n?SuLC.
8. 1he n?S Seagrass 1askforce esLlmaLes LhaL Lhe 200,000 acres of
seagrass ln Long lsland's bays and harbors ln 1930 have shrunk by nearly
90 Lo 22,000 acres.
9. 1he lorge 8lver ln Morlches ls Lhe worsL case of anoxla (absence of
oxygen) l have seen," sLaLes ur. Larry Swanson, AssoclaLe uean of
SoMAS.

3
Dawydiak, Walter, Acting Director Environmental Quality, Suffolk County Department of Health Services. Testimony to
Health Committee of SC Legislature, March 6, 2012


xecotlve 5ommoty

1be costs of teJtessloq wotet-teloteJ lssoes ote slqolflcoot, tbe ecooomlc
coosepoeoces of oot Joloq oot Joloq so ote potentio//y devostotinq in property
vo/ues o/one. 1beo tbete ls looq lslooJ tootlsm, ptoJocloq teveooes of
54.78/yt, wltb opptoxlmotely 28X of vlsltots - 5.1M/yt - vlsltloq potks ooJ
beocbes.
4
coostol bobltots sblelJ people ooJ ptopetty ftom seo-level tlse ooJ
stotms, teJocloq tbelt exposote by bolf, occotJloq to motloe ecoloqlsts ot
5toofotJ wooJs lostltote fot tbe ovltoomeot.
S

6

4
Trust for Public Land, The Economic Benefits and Fiscal Impact of Parks and Open Space in Nassau and Suffolk Counties,
New York, 2010 accessed at http://cloud.tpl.org/pubs/ccpe--nassau-county-park-benefits.pdf
5
Arkema, K, Coastal habitats shield people and property from sea-level rise and storms, Nature Climate Change, July 2013
6
Shepard, C, et al, Assessing future risk: quantifying the effects of sea level rise on storm surge risk for the southern shores of
Long Island, New York, Nat Hazard 2011: 727-745.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Nitrogen from Unsewered Areas
Suffolk CounLy, wlLh a populaLlon larger Lhan 11 sLaLes and a reglon LhaL derlves
lLs drlnklng waLer from Lhe ground, musL pay parLlcular aLLenLlon Lo Lhe 330,000
sub and non-performlng sepLlc/cesspools ln Suffolk, accounLlng for well over
73 of Lhe homes. 1hey are parLlcularly problemaLlc ln areas wlLh hlgh waLer
Lables and ln close proxlmlLy Lo surface waLers. When flooded or submerged ln
groundwaLer, sepLlc sysLems do noL funcLlon as deslgned and Lhey fall Lo
adequaLely LreaL paLhogens. Lxcess nlLrogen from Lhls sewage LhreaLens our
valuable naLural resources, coasLal defenses, and human healLh.

Character|st|cs of Unsewered Areas |n Suffo|k County, N..

unsewered 8esldenLlal arcels
1oLal
Medlum uenslLy Plgh uenslLy
(> 1 Lo < 3 d.u./acre) (> 5 J.o./octe)
0-23 ?ear 8aseflow ConLrlbuLlng Areas
Lo Surface WaLers
133,939 121,843 34,096
0-30 ?ear LsLlmaLed CroundwaLer
1ravel 1lme Lo ubllc WaLer Supply
Wells
33,169 43,967 11,202
Mlnus Cverlap 1,414 1,199 213
1oLal 209,694 164,611 43,083

Suffolk CounLy has ldenLlfled prlorlLy hlgh denslLy (greaLer Lhan 3 homes per
acre) and medlum denslLy (1 Lo 3 homes per acre) resldenLlal subreglons wlLhln
Lhe conLrlbuLlng areas wlLh Lhe followlng characLerlsLlcs:

1. wlLh a depLh Lo groundwaLer of 10 feeL or less, and/or
2. conLrlbuLe Lo an area LhaL ls llsLed as a 303(d) lmpalred waLer body.

Map of 0-25 Year Baseflow Contributing Areas to Surface Waters


xecotlve 5ommoty
ConLamlnanL Manmade Sources
N|trogen po||ut|on |s |ncreas|ng |n our groundwater

Whlle 87 of all communlLy supply wells had nlLrogen concenLraLlons less Lhan or equal Lo
6 mg/L, beLween 1987 and 2003 Lhere were large changes ln nlLrogen levels ln all of Suffolk
CounLy's groundwaLer aqulfers. nlLrogen concenLraLlons ln Lhe upper Clacler aqulfer rose
by 40 whlle levels ln Lhe MagoLhy aqulfer, a deeper aqulfer, rose by 70.

arLs of Suffolk CounLy's groundwaLer exceeds maxlmum conLalnmenL levels caused by
unsewered, subslzed loLs, especlally ln PunLlngLon, SmlLhLown and norLhern 8rookhaven,
wlLh nlLraLe levels ranglng from 8 mg/L Lo 12 mg/L ln MagoLhy wells ln norLhporL and LasL
norLhporL.

All 3 ma[or esLuarles ln Suffolk CounLy are sufferlng from dlssolved oxygen lmpalrmenLs as
well as recurrlng Parmful Algal 8looms, some Loxlc Lo humans, dlmlnlshlng Lhe CounLy's
weLlands, whlch acL as a second llne of defense for sLorms.

WeLlands have been sclenLlflcally proven Lo reduce vulnerablllLy from sLorm surge,
reduclng wave helghL by 80 over shorL dlsLances. Waves lose energy as Lhey Lravel
Lhrough vegeLaLlon.

Losses of healLhy salL marsh have acceleraLed ln recenL decades. n?SuLC esLlmaLes LhaL
Lhere was an 18-36 loss ln Lldal weLlands ln Lhe CreaL SouLh 8ay beLween 1974 and 2001.
ln 2008, n?SuLC declared Long lsland's enLlre SouLh Shore LsLuary 8eserve sysLem,
sLreLchlng more Lhan 60 mlles, an lmpalred waLer body" (under secLlon 303(d) of Lhe
Clean WaLer AcL). n?SuLC ldenLlfles nlLrogen from wasLewaLer as a reason for
Lhls unforLunaLe deslgnaLlon and sLaLes LhaL cesspools, sepLlc sysLems, and sewage
LreaLmenL planLs cause euLrophlcaLlon, resulLlng ln lower waLer oxygen levels
and perslsLenL algal blooms. Accordlng Lo researchers klnney and vallela
1
, 69 of the tota|
n|trogen |oad for the Great South 8ay |s from sept|c systems and cesspoo|s.

Lxcesslve nlLrogen has been shown Lo have a dlrecL effecL on seagrass by promoLlng
growLh of mlcroalgae whlch shade lL and macroalgae whlch ouL-compeLe lL. 1housands of
acres have dled off ln Long lsland's LasLern and SouLh Shore esLuarles. Accordlng Lo Lhe
n?S Seagrass 1askforce, hlsLorlc phoLography and records lndlcaLe LhaL Lhere may have
been as much as 200,000 acres of seagrass ln 1930 ln Long lsland bays and harbors, only
abouL 22,000 acres remaln.

A few decades ago, half Lhe clams eaLen ln Lhls counLry came from CreaL SouLh 8ay.
Powever, ln Lhe pasL 23 years, Lhe hard clam harvesL ln CreaL SouLh 8ay has fallen by more
Lhan 93 Lo record lows, resulLlng ln a loss of more Lhan 6,000 [obs.
1

ln Lhe 1970s, bay-
scallop flshery on LasLern Long lsland and hard-clam flshery ln Lhe SouLh Shore bays were
Lhe Lwo largesL ln Lhe u.S. 1he bay-scallop collapse was almosL enLlrely due Lo Lhe nlLrogen-
caused algal blooms. Whlle hard clams were over-harvesLed ln Lhe 1970s and 1980s, Lhey
have falled Lo recover largely due Lo recurrenL brown Lldes.
3S0,000 sept|c and
cesspoo|s

30,230 homes wlLh sepLlc
sysLems or cesspools are
wlLhln Lhe 0-23 year
conLrlbuLlng area Lo
surface waLer and have
less Lhan 10 feeL
separaLlng Lhelr sysLems
from Lhe waLer Lable

80 of a|| fert|||zer
purchased |n Suffo|k |s
for non-farm,
res|dent|a| uses

23,903 Lons of ferLlllzer
were purchased as non-
farm uses ln 2012,
represenLlng 16 of all
ferLlllzer purchased
sLaLewlde
1


xecotlve 5ommoty

ConLamlnanL Manmade Sources

Vo|at||e Crgan|c Chem|ca|s (CL, 1CL, 1CA, and M81L)
20 of publlc waLer supply wells are LreaLed Lo remove low-level vCCs prlor Lo dellvery Lo
cusLomers

1he gasollne addlLlve M18L, banned ln 2004, ls deLecLed on a wldespread basls buL
manlfesLs lLself ln small concenLraLlons of 2-3 parLs per bllllon

ConcenLraLlons of dry cleanlng and meLal flnlshlng solvenLs doubled ln a 20-year perlod,
lmpacLlng four Llmes Lhe number of wells.

70 of communlLy supply wells are raLed as hlgh or very hlgh for vCC conLamlnaLlon, due
Lo Lhe wldespread use of vCCs

lllegal dlscharges & spllls,
leaklng underground
sLorage Lanks, sepLlc
sysLems, household
cleaners, and banned
chemlcals Lravellng
Lhrough Lhe aqulfer

est|c|des
asL agrlculLural pracLlces have slgnlflcanLly lmpacLed prlvaLe wells on Lhe LasL Lnd, wlLh
6.3 exceedlng pesLlclde maxlmum conLamlnanL levels

Cver 100 pesLlclde-relaLed compounds ln Suffolk's groundwaLer have been deLecLed

AgrlculLural secLor and
homeowners

harmaceut|ca|s and ersona| Care roducts
ueLecLlon of pharmaceuLlcals and personal care producLs, llke lbuprofen, phLhalaLes, and
caffelne, have been found ln 0.3 of communlLy publlc supply well samples, and 4 of
(shallower) non-communlLy publlc supply and prlvaLe well samples.

1he presence of 1,4-dloxane, a chemlcal ln deLergenLs, ln over 100 SC WaLer AuLhorlLy
wells and ln a large percenLage of lLs waLer dlsLrlbuLlon sysLem ls expenslve Lo LreaL.

lndusLry and homeowners


xecotlve 5ommoty

Nitrogen Bomb in Our Bays

nlLrogen ls one of Lhe prlmary nuLrlenLs crlLlcal for Lhe survlval of all llvlng
organlsms. Slnce Lhe mld-1900s, humans lmpacL on Lhe global nlLrogen cycle vla
manufacLure of ferLlllzers and burnlng of fossll fuels has subsLanLlally alLered Lhe
amounL of flxed nlLrogen ln Lhe LarLh's ecosysLems. Some predlcL LhaL by 2030,
Lhe amounL of nlLrogen flxed by human acLlvlLles wlll exceed LhaL flxed by
mlcroblal processes.
7
nlLrogen ls arguably Lhe mosL lmporLanL nuLrlenL ln
regulaLlng prlmary producLlvlLy and specles dlverslLy ln aquaLlc and LerresLrlal
ecosysLems.
8

Much of Lhe nlLrogen applled Lo agrlculLural and urban areas ulLlmaLely enLers
rlvers and coasLal sysLems. ln nearshore marlne sysLems, elevaLed nlLrogen can
lead Lo anoxla or hypoxla (no or low oxygen), alLered blodlverslLy, alLeraLlons ln
Lhe food-web, and hablLaL degradaLlon. Cne common consequence of
|ncreased n|trogen |s pro||ferat|on of harmfu| a|ga| b|ooms.
9
1oxlc blooms of
cerLaln Lypes of dlnoflagellaLes have been assoclaLed wlLh hlgh flsh and shellflsh
morLallLy. AbsenL such economlcally caLasLrophlc lmpacLs, elevaLed nlLrogen
can lead Lo changes ln blodlverslLy, specles composlLlon and overall ecosysLem
funcLlon. lL has also been suggesLed LhaL alLeraLlons Lo Lhe nlLrogen cycle may
|ead to |ncreased r|sk of paras|t|c and |nfect|ous d|seases among humans and
w||d||fe.
10
Moreover, lncreases ln nlLrogen ln aquaLlc sysLems can lead Lo
lncreased acldlflcaLlon ln freshwaLer ecosysLems.

Clven LhaL nlLrogen forms when mlcroorganlsms break down ln sewage,
manures, decaylng planLs or ferLlllzers, mllllons of pounds of nlLrogen
are generaLed on Long lsland each year. As Chrls Cobler of Lhe Marlne
Sclence 8esearch CenLer aL SLony 8rook unlverslLy polnLs ouL, "and
unforLunaLely mosL of LhaL, as we all know, ls noL golng Lo sewage
LreaLmenL planLs, buL ls golng Lo sepLlc Lanks" and evenLually seeplng
lnLo groundwaLer and surface waLer, Cobler sald. "We do expect these
numbers to r|se."

7
Vitousek, P. M. et al. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: sources and consequences. Ecological Applications 7,
737750 (1997).
8
Vitousek, P. M. et al. Towards an ecological understanding of biological nitrogen fixation. Biogeochemistry 57, 145 (2002).
9
Howarth, R. W. Coastal nitrogen pollution: a review of sources and trends globally and regionally. Harmful Algae 8, 1420.
(2008).
10
Johnson, P. T. J. et al. Linking environmental nutrient enrichment and disease emergence in humans and wildlife. Ecological
Applications 20, 1629 (2010).


xecotlve 5ommoty

1he maLh, vla nuLrlenL budgeLs, LhaL's been done - quanLlfylng Lhe
preclse amounL of nlLrogen ln pounds per day from dlfferenL sources
lncludlng Lhe aLmosphere, ferLlllzers, sepLlc Lanks, cesspools, sewage
LreaLmenL planLs - clearly shows LhaL the |arge ma[or|ty |s from
cesspoo|s and sept|c tanks, golng from land lnLo Lhese SouLh Shore
esLuarles," says Cobler. 1he groundwaLer Lravels Lhrough Lhe aqulfer,
lL's golng Lowards Lhe bay. 1alnLed groundwaLer flows only a couple of
feeL a day. So, lronlcally, Lhe bays may [usL now be geLLlng hlL wlLh Lhe
effecLs of exploslve developmenL of Lhe 1960s and '70s."

1hough submerged sepLlc sysLems have noL been Lhoroughly evaluaLed,
such sysLems may very well dlmlnlsh LreaLmenL of poLenLlally
paLhogenlc bacLerla. Lxcess nuLrlenLs (nlLrogen and phosphorous)
from boLh polnL and non-polnL sources from wasLewaLer lnpuLs can
slgnlflcanLly lmpacL surface waLer quallLy causlng anoxla, hypoxla,
euLrophlcaLlon, nulsance algal blooms, dleback of seagrass and corals
and reduced populaLlons of flsh and shellflsh."
11

11
Paul, J.H., et al, Rapid movement of wastewater from on-site disposal systems into surface waters in the Lower Florida
Keys, Estuaries, Oct 2000, Vol23, Iss5, pp662-668.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Suffolk CounLy new ?ork SLaLe
?ear 1oLal lerLlllzer larm non-larm 1oLal lerLlllzer larm non-larm
2011 34,710.71 20.9 79.1 396,891.67 70.1 29.9
2012 32,432.19 20.1 79.9 390,819.23 72.7 27.3
2008-12 Suffolk CounLy non-farm ferLlllzer sales was 17.S of n?S/AgrlculLure & MarkeLs

1hough Lhe elemenL occurs naLurally and ls necessary for human healLh
and planL growLh, when |ngested |n h|gh |eve|s, |t can depr|ve bod|es of
oxygen |n b|ood. ln lnfanLs, excess nlLrogen ln waLer used for formula
preparaLlon can lead Lo "blue baby syndrome," where Lhe lack of
oxygen Lurns Lhe skln blue. ln adulLs, hlgh nlLrogen levels, ln severe
cases, can lead Lo braln damage.

Lxcess nlLrogen ls also harmful Lo coasLal ecosysLems. Cne lmporLanL
lmpacL of nlLrogen loadlng Lo coasLal sysLems ls low dlssolved oxygen, or
hypoxla. 1hls occurs when decomposlLlon processes ouLpace oxygen
producLlon and consume dlssolved oxygen ln Lhe waLer column.
Pypoxla can lead Lo flsh kllls and dlsplace marlne organlsms, cause
odors, alLer sedlmenL chemlsLry, and lmpacL Lhe food web.

ln 2008 Lhe n?SuLC declared Long lsland's enLlre SouLh Shore LsLuary
8eserve sysLem, sLreLchlng more Lhan 60 mlles, an lmpalred waLer
body" (under secLlon 303(d) of Lhe Clean WaLer AcL). n?SuLC ldenLlfles
nlLrogen from wasLewaLer as a reason for Lhls unforLunaLe deslgnaLlon
and sLaLes LhaL cesspools, sepLlc sysLems, and sewage LreaLmenL planLs
cause euLrophlcaLlon, resulLlng ln lower waLer oxygen levels and
perslsLenL algal blooms LhroughouL Lhls lmporLanL ecosysLem.

8uL drlnklng waLer safeLy and prevenLlon of hypoxla are only Lwo
reasons Long lslanders are concerned abouL nlLrogen loadlng. CLher
lmporLanL lmpacLs lnclude harmful algal blooms (PA8s), decllnlng
populaLlons of recreaLlonally and commerclally lmporLanL flsh and
shellflsh, and degradaLlon of weLlands and seagrass - lmporLanL naLural
defenses agalnsL sLorms.

1he recurrence of nlLrogen-caused low oxygen condlLlons, are Lhe
reason many of Long lslands bays are consldered lmpalred" (under
secLlon 303(d) of Lhe Clean WaLer AcL). lor Lhls reason alone, federal
and sLaLe pollcles have mandaLed LhaL nlLrogen loads be reduced ln Lhe
Long lsland Sound and econlc LsLuary.


xecotlve 5ommoty
ln 2008 Lhe n?SuLC declared Long lsland's enLlre SouLh Shore LsLuary
8eserve sysLem, sLreLchlng more Lhan 60 mlles, an lmpalred waLer
body" as well and wlll soon mandaLed load reducLlons Lhere. n?SuLC
ldenLlfles nlLrogen from wasLewaLer as a reason for Lhls unforLunaLe
deslgnaLlon and sLaLes LhaL cesspools, sepLlc sysLems, and sewage
LreaLmenL planLs cause euLrophlcaLlon, resulLlng ln lower waLer oxygen
levels and perslsLenL algal blooms LhroughouL Lhls lmporLanL ecosysLem.


xecotlve 5ommoty

The Tides Are Turning on Us
12

CcLober 13, 2013 - 8rown t|de algae, Lhe color of coffee, has reLurned
Lo Long lsland's SouLh Shore wlLh concenLraLlon 20x whaL ls harmful Lo
shellflsh ln cenLral CreaL SouLh 8ay and ls 4x ln oLher parLs of Lhe CreaL
SouLh 8ay. Chrls Cobler says such algal blooms have been formlng ln
SouLh Shore bays for aL leasL Lhe pasL 23 years.

Slnce Lhe 1980's, Lhe 8rown 1lde causlng algae A. ooopboqeffeteos has
plagued Long lsland LsLuarles, and has been lmpllcaLed ln Lhe crash of
Lhe hard clam populaLlon ln CreaL SouLh 8ay and Lhe lconlc bay scallop
populaLlon ln Lhe econlc LsLuary. ln effecL, Lhe faLe of Lhe shellflsh
populaLlon ls forewarnlng for Lhe surroundlng ecosysLem of eel grass
and marsh, llke Lhe proverblal canary ln Lhe coal mlne.

Slnce Lhls parLlcular sLraln of algae, A. ooopboqeffeteos can explolL
elLher lnorganlc or organlc nuLrlenLs, lL can poLenLlally ouL-compeLe
oLher co-occurrlng phyLoplankLon under some clrcumsLances. As A.
ooopboqeffeteos ls adapLed Lo grow under low llghL condlLlons and can
uLlllze Lhe avallable dlssolved organlc nuLrlenLs, lL prollferaLes as Lhe
wanlng algal bloom uses up Lhe lnorganlc nuLrlenLs and shades Lhe
waLer column wlLh lLs blomass.

12
http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/articles/t/brown-tide-research-initiative-what-s-new is the source for all material in this
section

8towo tlJe - Motlcbes 8oy, ll 2011


xecotlve 5ommoty
noLe LhaL Lhe pr|mary source of d|sso|ved |norgan|c n|trogen Lo many
of Long lsland esLuarles ls ln facL groundwater underf|ow. 8educed
groundwaLer underflow comblned wlLh an organlcally enrlched
envlronmenL provlde ldeal condlLlons for Lhe brown Llde, allowlng lL Lo
ouL-compeLe oLher specles LhaL rely on lnorganlc nuLrlenLs alone and
hlgher llghL levels for phoLosynLhesls.

When hard clam populaLlons were aL Lhelr peak ln CreaL SouLh 8ay ln
Lhe 1970s, lL has been esLlmaLed LhaL Lhe enLlre volume of CreaL SouLh
8ay was fllLered" Lhrough Lhe benLhlc shellflsh once every Lhree days.
WlLh Lhe dramaLlc decllne ln Lhe hard clam populaLlon of CreaL SouLh
8ay, by 1993 Lhe esLlmaLed Llme Lo fllLer Lhe bay lncreased Lo once
every 23 days. lleld and laboraLory resulLs conflrm Lhe lmporLance of
Lhese benLhlc fllLer feeders ln helplng Lo conLrol A. ooopboqeffeteos
populaLlons. ln Lank experlmenLs, under cerLaln condlLlons, waLer
fllLraLlon by hard clams prevenLed A. ooopboqeffeteos from bloomlng.
1hese resulLs suggesL LhaL Lhe reducLlon ln benLhlc fllLer feeders, such
as hard clams, has caused a shlfL of Lhe domlnanL grazers on
phyLoplankLon from benLhlc fllLer feeders Lo Lhe zooplankLon grazers ln
Lhe waLer column. Accordlngly, a comblnaLlon of a healLhy populaLlon
of benLhlc fllLer feeders and pelaglc grazers could poLenLlally conLrol A.
ooopboqeffeteos abundance and help prevenL a brown Llde.

1he red-Llde, or rust t|de organlsm coch/odinium has appeared ln Long
lsland waLers every year slnce 2004,wlLh an earller Lhan usual
appearance ln 2013. 1he ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal ConservaLlon
reporLed a flsh klll reporLed aL Cases Creek ln Aquebogue on Aug. 2,
flndlng kllllflsh, snappers, and black sea bass, all wlLh a coaLlng of
orange sllme." Cobler sald, rlor research ln my lab has
demonsLraLed LhaL Lhese blooms are made worse by lncreased nlLrogen
lnLo Lhese bays."

1he red-t|de algae, AlexooJtlom, produces saxlLoxln, whlch
causes lotolytlc 5bellflsb lolsooloq, whlch causes numbness and Llngllng
ln Lhe face and exLremlLles, followed by headache, dlzzlness, nausea and
a loss of coordlnaLlon, more severe paralysls, resplraLory fallure and
deaLh can occur (n?S-uLC). SaxlLoxln accumulaLes ln Lhe Llssues of
molluscan shellflsh, poslng a human healLh LhreaL whlch causes shellflsh
beds Lo be closed Lo flshlng, and lncome Lo be losL. 8looms of Lhls
specles began Lo occur annually ln norLh shore bays on Long lsland, buL
now regularly lmpacL easLern and souLh shore bays lncludlng MaLLlLuck
Creek, Sag Parbor Creek, and Shlnnecock 8ay as well.


xecotlve 5ommoty

1he algae uloopbysls produces okadalc acld, whlch causes ulottbetlc
5bellflsb lolsooloq resulLlng ln gasLro-lnLesLlnal sympLoms whlch can be
dangerous or even leLhal ln hlgh-rlsk populaLlons. 1hls algae has also
expanded lLs range on Long lsland ln recenL years and has occurred ln
record concenLraLlons ln wesLern econlc LrlbuLarles.

AnoLher group of harmful algae, CyanobacLerla, have creaLed harmful
blooms wlLh lncreaslng frequency and exLenL ln Suffolk CounLy's fresh
waLers.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Why Are Protective Salt Marshes Falling Apart?
Too Many Nutrients
13

n?S 2100 Commlsslon's reporL: 1|da| wet|ands can protect coasta|
commun|t|es from sLorm damage by reduclng wave energy and
ampllLude, slowlng waLer veloclLy, and sLablllzlng Lhe shorellne Lhrough
sedlmenL deposlLlon."

A 2013 reporL by Lhe uS Army Corps of Lnglneers concluded LhaL
vegetated coasta| features such as marshlands can reduce the effects
of surge, waves, and Lsunaml propagaLlon.
14
8esearchers have
concluded LhaL coasLal weLland vegeLaLlon serves as a naLural defense
sysLem agalnsL sLorm surges and waves along coasLal reglons, reduclng
wave helghL by 80 over shorL dlsLances. Waves lose energy as Lhey
Lravel Lhrough vegeLaLlon.
13

16

SalL marshes are among Lhe mosL blologlcally producLlve ecosysLems on
LarLh and Lhey perform many ecosysLem servlces LhaL are hlghly valued
by socleLy. SalL marshes are a crlLlcal lnLerface beLween Lhe land and
sea," Woods Pole sclenLlsL Llnda ueegan says. 1hey provlde hablLaL for
flsh, blrds, and shellflsh, proLecL coasLal clLles from sLorms, and Lhey

13
Deegan LA, Johnson DS, Warren RS, Peterson BJ, Fleeger JW, Fagherazzi S, and Wollheim WM (18 Oct 2012) Coastal
Eutrophication as a Driver of Salt Marsh Loss Nature: doi:10.1038.
14
Anderson ME, McKee Smith J, Bryant DB, and McComas, RGW. (Sept 2013), Laboratory Studies of Wave Attenuation
through Artificial and Real Vegetation USACE, It is generally acknowledged that vegetated coastal features such as wetlands
can reduce the effects of surge, waves, and tsunami propagation.
13
!adhav, 8an[lL and Chen, Cln, lleld lnvesLlgaLlon of Wave ulsslpaLlon Cver SalL Marsh vegeLaLlon uurlng 1roplcal Cyclone"
CoasLal Lnglneerlng, 2012
16
?sebaerL, 1, ?ang, S.,Zhang, L., Pe, C., 8ouma, 1., Perman, . Wave ALLenuaLlon by 1wo ConLrasLlng LcosysLem Lnglneerlng
SalL Marsh MacrophyLes ln Lhe lnLerLldal loneer Zone" SocleLy of WeLland SclenLlsLs 20 SepL 2011


xecotlve 5ommoty
Lake nuLrlenLs ouL of Lhe waLer comlng from upland areas, whlch
proLecLs coasLal bays from over-polluLlon."

Losses of healLhy salL marsh have acceleraLed ln recenL decades, wlLh
some losses caused by sea-level rlse and developmenL. 1he n?S uLC
esLlmaLes LhaL Lhere was an 18-36 |oss |n t|da| wet|ands ln Lhe CreaL
SouLh 8ay occurred beLween 1974 and 2001.
17
As Lhe only SouLh Shore
bay wlLh ma[or rlverlne lnpuL, CreaL SouLh 8ay's llvlng resources have
been slgnlflcanLly affecLed by dlmlnlshed LrlbuLary waLer quallLy.

8ased upon 36 yrs of nuLrlenL enrlchmenL ln repllcaLed fleld
experlmenLs, a Leam of sclenLlsLs from LSu's ueparLmenL of
Cceanography and CoasLal Sclences, Lhe CoasLal SysLems rogram aL u
MA, and Lhe Woods Pole Cceanographlc lnsLlLuLlon drew Lhe followlng
concluslons: LnrlchmenL reduces organlc maLLer belowground and may
resulL ln a slgnlflcanL loss ln marsh elevaLlon equlvalenL Lo abouL half
Lhe average global sea level rlse raLes. SusLalnlng and resLorlng coasLal
emergenL marshes ls more llkely lf Lhey recelve less, noL more, nuLrlenL
loadlng.. 1he salL marshes mosL vulnerable Lo changes ln elevaLlon wlll
be Lhose organlc-rlch salL marshes aL Lhe low end of Lhelr elevaLlon
range and exposed Lo relaLlvely hlgh nuLrlenL loadlng.. An example of
Lhls slLuaLlon mlghL be ln [nelghborlng] !amalca 8ay, new ?ork, an
esLuary LhaL has losL much of lLs salL marsh Lo fragmenLaLlon, and has
had slgnlflcanL marsh dleback (near compleLe loss of vegeLaLlon ln salL
marsh parcels, wlLh subsequenL eroslon and down-esLuary LransporL of
sedlmenL away from Lhe marsh plaLform).
18

19

Marsh loss Lhrough expanslon of unvegeLaLed pannes ls a wldespread
phenomenon especlally prevalenL ln norLheasL esLuarles. As Lhese
unvegeLaLed areas expand, Lhe vegeLaLed area of marsh and Lhe
dellvery of ecosysLem servlces from Lhese marshes, llke coasLal
proLecLlon from sLorm surges, are also losL.

Accordlng Lo CoasLal 8eslllence 2.0, a pro[ecL of 1he naLure
Conservancy, from '74-'08 SmlLh's olnL marsh dlmlnlshed by 28.31,
Cardlner ark by 33.67.

17
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/31989.html
18
Turner, R. E. et al. Salt marshes and eutrophication: an unsustainable outcome. Limnol. Oceanogr. 54, 16341642 (2009).
19
Hartig, E. K., et al. Anthropogenic and climate-change impacts on salt marshes of Jamaica Bay, New York City. Wetlands
22: 1331. (2002)


xecotlve 5ommoty

Lxcesslve nlLrogen has been shown Lo have a dlrecL effecL on seagrass
by promoLlng growLh of mlcroalgae whlch shade lL and macroalgae
whlch ouL-compeLe lL. 1housands of acres have dled off ln Long lsland's
LasLern and SouLh Shore esLuarles. Accordlng Lo Lhe n?S Seagrass
1askforce, hlsLorlc phoLography and records lndlcaLe LhaL Lhere may
have been as much as 200,000 acres of seagrass |n 1930 ln Long lsland
bays and harbors, only abouL 22,000 acres rema|n.

Clobal decrease ln LCLs ls known Lo affecL aL leasL Lhree crlLlcal
ecosysLem servlces (Worm eL al. 2006): Lhe number of vlable (non-
collapsed) flsherles (33 decllne), Lhe provlslon of nursery hablLaLs such
as oysLer reefs, seagrass beds, and weLlands (69 decllne), and fllLerlng
and deLoxlflcaLlon servlces provlded by suspenslon feeders, submerged
vegeLaLlon, and weLlands (63 decllne). 1he loss of blodlverslLy,
ecosysLem funcLlons, and coasLal vegeLaLlon ln LCLs may have
conLrlbuLed Lo blologlcal lnvaslons, decllnlng waLer quallLy, and
decreased coasLal proLecLlon from floodlng and sLorm evenLs.
20

Llke weLland sysLems, seagrass beds dampen wave energy and sLablllze
sedlmenL, proLecLlng Long lsland's coasLal communlLles from Lhe lmpacL
of sLorms and floodlng. Larger seagrass bed wldLh ln Lhe dlrecLlon of
wave propagaLlon resulLs ln hlgher wave aLLenuaLlon, and relaLlve wave
aLLenuaLlon lncreases as lncomlng wave helghL lncreases.. A few
auLhors have posLulaLed LhaL seagrass beds could reduce Lhe energy

20
Barbier EB, et al. The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services. Ecol Monogr 2011;81:169193.


xecotlve 5ommoty
LhaL reaches shorellnes, and poLenLlally proLecL shorellnes from belng
eroded"
21

WeLlands and seagrass beds are also crlLlcal Lo Lhe reslllency of Long
lsland's marlne food web Lo Lhe lmpacLs of sLorms and cllmaLe change,
and ecologlcal LhreaLs llke euLrophlcaLlon and harmful algal blooms. 8y
provldlng Lhe nursery hablLaL necessary for reproducLlon of key specles
aL Lhe base of Lhe food web, Lhese hablLaLs are essenLlal Lo Lhe success
of recreaLlonally and commerclally lmporLanL flnflsh and shellflsh.

CoasLal weLlands reduce Lhe damaglng effecLs of hurrlcanes on coasLal
communlLles by absorblng sLorm energy ln ways LhaL nelLher solld land
nor open waLer can. 1he mechanlsms lnvolved lnclude decreaslng Lhe
area of open waLer (feLch) for wlnd Lo form waves, lncreaslng drag on
waLer moLlon and hence Lhe ampllLude of a sLorm surge, reduclng dlrecL
wlnd effecL on Lhe waLer surface, and dlrecLly absorblng wave energy.
Slnce marsh planLs hold and accreLe sedlmenLs , ofLen reduce sedlmenL
resuspenslon, and consequenLly malnLaln shallow waLer depLhs, Lhe
presence of vegeLaLlon conLrlbuLes ln Lwo ways: flrsL by acLually
decreaslng surges and waves, and also by malnLalnlng Lhe shallow
depLhs LhaL have Lhe same effecL.
22

CoasLal hablLaLs - such as seagrasses, kelp foresLs, coral reefs,
mangroves, weLlands, and dunes - can provlde proLecLlon from
23

eroslon and lnundaLlon due Lo sLorm surge. Loss of Lhese nearshore
hablLaLs can have dlre lmpllcaLlons, lncludlng damage Lo coasLal
lnfrasLrucLure, prlvaLe properLy, and loss of human llfe.. LxlsLlng
coasLal hablLaL proLecLlon laws almed aL reduclng euLrophlcaLlon of
recelvlng waLers also keeps ln check Lhose same blophyslcal processes
LhaL exacerbaLe ocean acldlflcaLlon."

1he number of people, poor famllles, elderly and LoLal value of
resldenLlal properLy [excluslve commerclal} LhaL are mosL exposed Lo
hazards can be reduced by half lf exlsLlng coasLal hablLaLs remaln fully
lnLacL. CoasLal hablLaLs defend Lhe greaLesL number of people and LoLal
properLy value ln llorlda, new ?ork and Callfornla.. Large expanses of
coasLal foresLs and weLlands, oysLer and coral reefs, dunes and seagrass
beds (SupplemenLary llg. S4) are crlLlcal for proLecLlng Lhe easLern
seaboard.. varlaLlon among counLles ln Lhe value of properLy now

21
Chen S-N,et al. A nearshore model to investigate the effects of seagrass bed geometry on wave attenuation and suspended
sediment transport. Estuaries Coasts 2007;30:296310.
22
Costanza R, et al. The valueofcoastalwetlandsforhurricaneprotection. Ambio 2008;37:241248.
23
Ruckelhaus, M, et al, Securing ocean benefits for society in the face of climate change, Marine Policy, Jan 6, 2013


xecotlve 5ommoty
proLecLed by coasLal hablLaLs ls subsLanLlal, ranglng from uS$0 (for
example, !efferson, llorlda), Lo more Lhan uS$20 bllllon ln 5uffo/k and
klngs, new ?ork." - Arkema, kaLle k, eL al,CoasLal hablLaLs shleld people
and properLy from sea-level rlse and sLorms," naLure CllmaLe Change,
!uly, 14, 2013

1he CommunlLy vulnerablllLy AssessmenL 1ool (nCAA) ldenLlfles block
groups LhaL are mosL rlsk, assesslng damages resulLlng from a caLegory
3 hurrlcane (qtoy) compounded .3m sea-level rlse (block),
24
+ values of
Lldal marshes.
23

Case #1: The Forge

lts tbe wotst cose of oooxlojobseoce of oxyqeo] l bove seeo.
-lotty 5woosoo, coostol oceoooqtopbet, Motloe 5cleoce keseotcb ceotet, (New
otk 1lmes, 2/28/08)

1he Iorge k|ver has been a
dlsLressed esLuary slnce Lhe early
parL of Lhe 20Lh cenLury.
LxLenslve duck farmlng ln Lhe 20Lh
cenLury along Lhe banks of Lhe
lorge 8lver and hlgh denslLy
resldenLlal developmenL
conLrlbuLed Lo Lhe hlgh-nlLrogen
sedlmenL load LhaL remalns.
8esldenLlal developmenL booms ln
Lhe MasLlc 8each area ln Lhe early
20Lh cenLury and on Lhe penlnsula
ln Lhe mld-20Lh cenLury added
Lhousands of onslLe wasLewaLer
LreaLmenL sysLems (cesspools and
sepLlc sysLems) lnslde Lhe lorge 8lver waLershed. 8esldenLs of Lhe lorge 8lver
waLershed conLlnue Lo reporL ma|odorous cond|t|ons and f|sh k|||s whlle local
sclenLlsLs reporL hypoxlc and anoxlc condlLlons LhaL are lnhosplLable Lo aquaLlc
llfe.

24
Shepard, C, et al, Assessing future risk: quantifying the effects of sea level rise on storm surge risk for the southern shores of
Long Island, New York, Nat Hazard 2011: 727-745.
25
Bromberg, K, et al, Centuries of human driven change in salt marsh ecosystems, AnnRvw Mar Sci 2009; 1-117-141.


xecotlve 5ommoty
nlLrogen loadlng, ln order of quanLlLy dellvered Lo Lhe esLuary, ls from
resldenLlal sepLlc sysLems, Lhe duck farm, prlvaLe LreaLmenL planLs, release from
Lhe sedlmenLs, resldenLlal and agrlculLural ferLlllzer use, and Lo a lesser exLenL
aLmospherlc deposlLlon and sLormwaLer. 1he CharacLerlzaLlon reporL concludes
LhaL Lhe severe dlssolved oxygen depleLlon ln Lhe lorge 8lver ls prlmarlly due Lo
algal blooms fed by excepLlonally hlgh nlLrogen. 1he ma[orlLy of Lhe nlLrogen
enLerlng Lhe esLuary ls from groundwaLer LhaL ls years or Lens of years old and
Lherefore reflecLs hlsLorlc lnpuLs. CroundwaLer conLlnues Lo recelve nlLrogen
from sepLlc sysLems and ferLlllzer use. uense algal blooms wlll recur annually,
parLlcularly durlng Lhe summer, as long as new and hlsLorlc nlLrogen loadlng and
clrculaLlon remalns unchanged.. 1he Iorge k|ver has a h|story of water qua||ty
|mpa|rments and has experlenced chronlc hypoxla and flsh kllls. ln 2006, uslng
meLhodology esLabllshed by Lhe lederal Clean WaLer AcL, Lhe rlver was
caLegorlzed as a waLerbody LhaL dld noL meeL waLer quallLy sLandards, and was
placed on New ork State's "303(d) ||st." -Cameron Lnglneerlng/CP2MPlll,
lorge WaLershed ManagemenL lan, March 2012

1be sbeet volome of qtoooJwotet tbot feeJs tbe lotqe klvet ooJ lts ttlbototles,
especlolly lo blqb-Jeoslty oteos, Jellvets o ttemeoJoos olttoqeo looJ, llkely fot
mote tboo, soy, o cooceottoteJ omooot ftom o polot-sootce Jlscbotqe, -8oberL
WaLers, supervlsor, Suffolk CounLy ueparLmenL of PealLh Servlces' 8ureau of
Marlne 8esources (2/28/08)

1he easLern boundary of Lhe sLudy area conslsLs of Lhe lorge 8lver and lLs
LrlbuLarles. 1he 8lver ls an esLuary LhaL has been ldenLlfled as an lmpalred waLer
body and ls lncluded ln Lhe new ?ork SLaLe ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal
ConservaLlon (n?S uLC) 303 (d) llsL for paLhogens, nlLrogen and dlssolved
oxygen/oxygen demand. lncorporaLlon of Lhe densely developed resldenLlal
area ln Lhe wesLern parL of Lhe lorge 8lver waLershed Lo the potent|a| Sewer
D|str|ct boundary prov|des a s|gn|f|cant env|ronmenta| benef|t whlch helps Lo
saLlsfy Lhe sLakeholder goals assoclaLed wlLh lmprovlng Lhe waLer quallLy of Lhe
lorge 8lver."

Many homes close Lo Lhe esLuary are aL elevaLlons so low LhaL Lhere ls llLLle
unsaLuraLed soll beLween Lhe on-slLe sysLem and groundwaLer. Pere Lhere ls no
opporLunlLy for soll bacLerla or rooLs Lo acL on Lhe nlLrogen prlor Lo lLs release Lo
groundwaLer and Lhen Lhe esLuary. Several hundred homes are less Lhan nlne
feeL above groundwaLer, Lhe mlnlmum currenLly requlred by Lhe CounLy for on-
slLe wasLewaLer LreaLmenL sysLems (11-34)."

lf groundwaLer nlLrogen were slgnlflcanLly reduced, algal blooms would be less
frequenL and less lnLense. Less lnLense and fewer algal blooms would reduce


xecotlve 5ommoty
Lhe deposlLlon of organlc maLLer Lo Lhe sedlmenLs. AcLlvlLy by aeroblc sedlmenL
bacLerla would slow, releaslng less nlLrogen back Lo Lhe waLer Lable. Anaeroblc
bacLerla locaLed deeper ln Lhe sedlmenL where oxygen ls depleLed, would
denlLrlfy remalnlng organlc maLerlal and release nlLrogen Lo Lhe aLmosphere.
8educlng groundwaLer nlLrogen lnpuLs Lo Lhe esLuary ls one of Lhe mosL
effecLlve ways Lo lmprove waLer quallLy ln Lhe lorge 8lver (11-37).


xecotlve 5ommoty

Groundwater Quality
CroundwaLer LhroughouL mosL of Lhe CounLy ls of hlgh quallLy.
1he 1987 comp P/on ldenLlfled only four lnorganlc consLlLuenLs -
chlorldes, sulfaLe, lron and manganese - LhaL exceed drlnklng waLer
sLandards ln naLlve groundwaLer ln some parLs of Lhe aqulfer
sysLem. AlLhough Suffolk CounLy's 1.3 mllllon resldenLs llve dlrecLly
above Lhe sole-source aqulfer, Lhe quallLy of Lhe CounLy's groundwaLer
remalns remarkably good due Lo Lhe concerLed efforLs of waLer resource
managers. WaLer quallLy daLa reveals LhaL concenLraLlons of many
conLamlnanLs lnLroduced Lo Lhe groundwaLer by human acLlvlLy have
lncreased over Lhe pasL Lwo decades slnce Lhe 1987 comp P/on was
compleLed.

Suffolk CounLy has long recognlzed LhaL land uses and acLlvlLles
occurrlng above ground can have a dlrecL lmpacL upon groundwaLer
quallLy, as recharglng preclplLaLlon can LransporL dlssolved conLamlnanLs
from maLerlals used, sLored or dlsposed of aL Lhe ground surface down
Lhrough Lhe unsaLuraLed zone Lo Lhe underlylng aqulfer. 1he sands, sllLs,
gravels and clays LhaL make up Lhe unsaLuraLed zone and Lhe aqulfer
sysLem funcLlon as a large sand fllLer LhaL has helped Lo llmlL Lhe lmpacL
of many of Lhese conLamlnanLs on groundwaLer quallLy. Whlle
lmplemenLaLlon of regulaLlons and managemenL acLlvlLles proLecLlng
groundwaLer quallLy have been effecLlve ln reduclng Lhe lmpacLs of
human developmenL, Lhe conLlnued effecLs of overlylng land uses on
groundwaLer quallLy ln Lhe CounLy are evldenL.

new ?ork SLaLe ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal ConservaLlon (n?SuLC)
has esLabllshed groundwaLer quallLy crlLerla for over one hundred
conLamlnanLs, and lmproved analyLlcal capablllLles allow deLecLlon of
hundreds of addlLlonal conLamlnanLs, aL lncreaslngly lower
concenLraLlons. 1hls sLudy focused on conLamlnanLs LhaL have been
ldenLlfled ln Suffolk CounLy groundwaLer - nlLraLe, whlch has long been
ldenLlfled as Lhe lnorganlc parameLer causlng Lhe mosL wldespread
concern, volaLlle organlc compounds (vCCs) and pesLlcldes, whlch have
prevlously been ldenLlfled as a serlous LhreaL Lo groundwaLer quallLy,
and addlLlonal conLamlnanLs of concern, whose occurrence and healLh
lmpacLs are sLlll belng sLudled, such as perchloraLe and pharmaceuLlcals
and personal care producLs (Cs).
Source Water Assessments
kecoqolzloq tbot octlvltles lo o wotet
sopplys sootce wotet oteo bove o
slqolflcoot poteotlol to offect poollty of
tbe potoble sopply, tbe New otk 5tote
uepottmeot of neoltb (N5uOn) JltecteJ
tbe Jevelopmeot of 5ootce wotet
Assessmeots fot oll pobllc sopply wells
tbot exlsteJ lo 5offolk coooty lo 200J.
As pott of tbls ptoject, opJoteJ sootce
wotet ossessmeots wete completeJ fot oll
exlstloq ooJ ploooeJ commoolty sopply
wells lJeotlfleJ by 5offolk coooty wotet
soppllets. 1be sootce wotet ossessmeots
bove tbtee mojot compooeots.
use of tbtee Jlmeosloool
qtoooJwotet flow ooJ
cootomlooot ttoospott moJels to
Jelloeote tbe oteo coottlbotloq
tecbotqe to eocb well (sootce
wotet oteo), ooJ to estlmote tbe
tlme of ttovel ftom tbe wotet
toble to tbe well scteeo,
use of Cl5 ooJ exteoslve
Jotoboses to lJeotlfy tbe
ptevoleoce of eocb cootomlooot
coteqoty wltblo tbe sootce wotet
oteo, boseJ opoo looJ oses ooJ
tbe pteseoce of poteotlol polot
sootces of cootomlootloo,
volootloo of tbe sosceptlblllty of
eocb well to poteotlol
cootomlootloo, boseJ opoo
cootomlooot ptevoleoce,
cootomlooot fote ooJ ttoospott
cbotoctetlstlcs, ooJ ttovel tlme to
tbe well scteeo.


xecotlve 5ommoty
A comparlson of waLer quallLy daLa collecLed from communlLy supply wells LhaL
were sampled ln boLh 1987 and ln 2003 reveals LhaL concenLraLlons of nlLraLe
are slowly lncreaslng ln all Lhree aqulfers, as a resulL of sanlLary wasLewaLer
dlscharges and ferLlllzaLlon pracLlces. A comparlson of average nlLraLe
concenLraLlons from all communlLy supply wells LhaL exlsLed ln 1987 and all
communlLy supply wells LhaL exlsLed ln 2003 shows LhaL nlLraLe concenLraLlons,
on average, have lncreased by more Lhan 1 mg/L ln boLh Lhe upper glaclal and
MagoLhy aqulfers. Cverall, average nlLraLe concenLraLlons remalned less Lhan or
equal Lo 6 mg/L ln nearly 87 percenL of all communlLy supply wells ln 2003. Cnly
Lwo percenL of all raw waLer samples of communlLy supply wells exceeded Lhe
10 mg/L drlnklng waLer Maxlmum ConLamlnanL Level (MCL). rlvaLe well
sample resulLs showed LhaL almosL one Lhlrd of Lhe prlvaLe wells LesLed
conLalned less Lhan 1 mg/L nlLraLe, approachlng naLlve groundwaLer quallLy,
and nlLraLe concenLraLlons ln nearly 73 percenL of Lhe prlvaLe wells were less
Lhan or equal Lo 6 mg/L. Powever, nlLraLe levels ln nearly Len percenL of Lhe
10,277 prlvaLe wells sampled exceeded Lhe 10 mg/L MCL, Lhese lmpacLed wells
were prlmarlly locaLed ln agrlculLural areas of Lhe norLh and souLh forks and ln
pockeLs of Lhe more densely developed unsewered areas of Lhe norLh and souLh
shores. ln summary, whlle groundwaLer LhroughouL mosL of Lhe CounLy
conLlnues Lo comply wlLh Lhe nlLraLe MCL, Lhe daLa lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe quallLy of
Lhe aqulfer has been gradually deLerloraLlng as a resulL of overlylng land uses.
1hese lmpacLs are parLlcularly evldenL ln Lhe shallow zones of Lhe aqulfer LhaL
are uLlllzed by prlvaLe wells.
SCuPS rouLlnely LesLs groundwaLer for over 80 vCCs - mosL are never deLecLed.
A more deLalled assessmenL of Lhe vCCs LhaL have been mosL commonly
deLecLed ln Lhe CounLy ln Lhe pasL (LeLrachloroeLhene or CL, LrlchloroeLhene
or 1CL, 1,1,1-LrlchloroeLhane or 1CA, and M18L) was conducLed. 8aw waLer
quallLy daLa conflrms LhaL Lhese mosL commonly deLecLed vCCs were noL found
ln raw waLer samples from nearly 90 percenL of Suffolk CounLy communlLy
supply wells ln 2003, and LhaL unLreaLed waLer pumped from abouL 98 percenL
of Lhe communlLy supply wells complled wlLh appllcable MCLs for vCCs.
neverLheless, a careful revlew of conLamlnanLs such as CL ln publlc supply
wells LhaL were sampled ln boLh 1987 and 2003 showed LhaL CL was deLecLed
ln four Llmes as many wells ln 2003 as ln 1987, LhaL average CL concenLraLlons
from Lhe same seL of boLh upper glaclal and MagoLhy wells doubled from 1987
Lo 2003, and LhaL unLreaLed waLer exceeded Lhe 3 g/L MCL ln one well ln 1987,
and ln nlne wells ln 2003. Slmllarly, 1CL daLa from unLreaLed waLer from publlc
supply wells LhaL were sampled ln boLh 1987 and 2003 showed LhaL average 1CL
concenLraLlons from Lhe same seL of boLh upper glaclal and MagoLhy wells
doubled from 1987 Lo 2003, and LhaL unLreaLed waLer from nlne wells exceeded

Source Water Assessments
Used Computer Models, Land
Use Data, Potential Point
Source Locations, and
Contaminant Fate and
Transport Characteristics to
Assess the Susceptibility of
Each Community Supply Well
to Contamination.


xecotlve 5ommoty
Lhe 3 g/L MCL ln 2003 (only one of Lhe nlne dld ln 1987). Conslderlng
unLreaLed waLer quallLy daLa from Lhe same seL of publlc supply wells LhaL were
sampled ln boLh 1987 and 2003, Lhe average 1CA concenLraLlon decreased ln
Lhe upper glaclal wells, buL lncreased sllghLly ln Lhe MagoLhy wells. lncreased
deLecLlons of vCCs LhroughouL Lhe CounLy, albelL aL low concenLraLlons,
lndlcaLe wldespread use and release Lo Lhe envlronmenL. lsolaLed areas of
hlgher levels of vCC conLamlnaLlon are assoclaLed wlLh lndusLrlal, commerclal,
LransporLaLlon or lnsLlLuLlonal land uses.
esLlcldes also conLlnued Lo be deLecLed ln groundwaLer downgradlenL of
agrlculLural areas. ln recenL years, exLenslve lnvesLlgaLlons conducLed by
SCuPS, lncludlng sampllng of publlc, prlvaLe and monlLorlng wells, have
ldenLlfled Lhe presence of over 100 pesLlclde-relaLed compounds ln Suffolk's
groundwaLer. SCuPS found LhaL 140 communlLy supply wells were lmpacLed by
pesLlclde-relaLed conLamlnanLs durlng Lhe perlod from 1997 Lhrough 2006.
erchloraLe has been deLecLed ln raw, or unLreaLed waLer samples obLalned
from elghL percenL of communlLy supply wells screened lnLo Lhe upper glaclal
aqulfer and flve percenL of wells screened lnLo Lhe MagoLhy aqulfer. Wells wlLh
perchloraLe deLecLlons generally lnclude exlsLlng or hlsLorlcal agrlculLural land
wlLhln Lhelr conLrlbuLlng areas.
new, more sophlsLlcaLed analyLlcal Lechnlques have enabled Lhe CounLy Lo
deLecL Lhe presence of conLamlnanLs aL parLs per Lrllllon levels, much lower
concenLraLlons Lhan could prevlously have been ldenLlfled. SCuPS has closely
monlLored avallable lnformaLlon on emerglng conLamlnanLs and has analyzed
Lhousands of samples from communlLy, non-communlLy and prlvaLe wells over
Lhe lasL decade. SCuPS monlLorlng has ldenLlfled Lhe presence of Lrace levels of
Cs ln less Lhan 0.3 percenL of Lhe samples collecLed from communlLy supply
wells and ln nearly four percenL of Lhe samples collecLed from Lhe shallower
non-communlLy and prlvaLe wells. As new lnformaLlon on Lhe deLecLlon, faLe
and LransporL characLerlsLlcs, or poLenLlal effecLs of Cs ls publlshed nearly
every day, SCuPS conLlnues Lo monlLor Lhe llLeraLure and regulaLory lnlLlaLlves
Lo assess Lhe need Lo respond Lo any poLenLlal publlc healLh concerns.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Groundwater ua||ty and Land Use Compared Lo many sources of waLer
supply LhroughouL Lhe counLry, Suffolk CounLy's groundwaLer supply remalns
for Lhe mosL parL, a hlgh quallLy source of poLable waLer, desplLe Lhe lmpacLs of
Lhe 1.3 mllllon people who llve ln Lhe waLershed. 1he comblned efforLs of
programs Lo proLecL Lhe aqulfer sysLem aL Lhe federal, sLaLe, counLy and Lown
levels have been very successful ln conLrolllng Lhe lmpacLs of developmenL on
groundwaLer - alLhough Lhe conLlnual gradual decllne of groundwaLer quallLy
lndlcaLes LhaL addlLlonal efforLs are requlred.
As parL of Lhls sLudy, Lhe CounLy's callbraLed groundwaLer models were used Lo
dellneaLe Lhe ground surface area conLrlbuLlng recharge or source waLer for
each of Lhe CounLy's 704 exlsLlng and planned communlLy supply wells, shown
on I|gure LS-1. uslng Ceographlc lnformaLlon SysLems (ClS), Lhese conLrlbuLlng
areas were overlaln upon land use mapplngs provlded by Lhe SCu as well as
mapplngs of poLenLlal polnL sources of conLamlnaLlon developed from
daLabases malnLalned by SCuPS, n?SuLC and Lhe LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon
Agency (uSLA). 1hese poLenLlal polnL sources are faclllLles or properLles LhaL
have Lhe poLenLlal Lo release conLamlnaLlon Lo groundwaLer based on
knowledge of Lhe maLerlals used, sLored, or dlsposed of on-slLe. 8ased upon Lhe
faLe and LransporL characLerlsLlcs of conLamlnanLs commonly assoclaLed wlLh
Lhe land use Lypes and faclllLles presenL wlLhln each well's conLrlbuLlng area,
and Lhe slmulaLed Llme of Lravel from Lhe waLer Lable Lo Lhe supply well's
screen, each publlc supply well's suscepLlblllLy Lo conLamlnaLlon by mlcroblals,
nlLraLes, vCCs and pesLlcldes was assessed and documenLed.


xecotlve 5ommoty
Figure ES-1
Calibrated three-dimensional groundwater and salt water intrusion models
were used to develop source water assessments for each community supply
well, to help to understand the relationships between land use and
groundwater quality and groundwater and surface water resources.

1he suscepLlblllLy raLlngs resulLlng from Lhe updaLed source waLer assessmenL
analyses show LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of Suffolk CounLy communlLy supply wells are
vulnerable Lo nlLraLe conLamlnaLlon, Lhls demonsLraLes a need for addlLlonal
groundwaLer proLecLlon measures. uue Lo Lhe wldespread use of vCCs ln Lhe
CounLy, Lhe suscepLlblllLy of nearly sevenLy percenL of communlLy supply wells
ls raLed as hlgh or very hlgh for conLamlnaLlon by vCCs. SuscepLlblllLy Lo
pesLlcldes ls raLed aL low Lo medlum LhroughouL mosL of Lhe CounLy, excepL on
Lhe norLh lork, where communlLy supply wells are hlghly or very hlghly
suscepLlble Lo pesLlclde conLamlnaLlon lnLroduced Lo Lhe aqulfer by Lhe
agrlculLural lands presenL. 8ecause lL Lakes years - or decades ln some cases -


xecotlve 5ommoty
for recharglng groundwaLer Lo reach a supply well screen, hlsLorlcal land uses
can also have a slgnlflcanL lmpacL upon waLer quallLy aL a well. 1he relaLlonshlp
beLween hlsLorlcal land use Lypes wlLhln supply well conLrlbuLlng areas and well
waLer quallLy was also evaluaLed as parL of Lhls sLudy.
Cn a CounLy-wlde basls, sanlLary wasLewaLer dlsposal and ferLlllzaLlon are Lhe
Lwo mosL slgnlflcanL sources of nlLrogen loadlng Lo Lhe groundwaLer sysLem.
SanlLary wasLewaLer managemenL ls one of Lhe mosL lmporLanL groundwaLer
resource proLecLlon lssues faclng Suffolk CounLy ln boLh exlsLlng developed
areas and ln currenLly undeveloped areas. rlor Lo exLenslve developmenL,
prlvaLe wells were used Lo wlLhdraw poLable supply from Lhe aqulfer, mosL of
Lhe waLer wlLhdrawn was reLurned Lo Lhe aqulfer sysLem vla on-slLe cesspools
or sepLlc sysLems. 1he recharglng sanlLary wasLewaLer lnLroduced nlLrogen and
bacLerla Lo Lhe aqulfer sysLem, buL Lhls was successfully dlluLed by Lhe greaLer
volume of recharglng preclplLaLlon and dld noL cause wldespread lmpacLs.
LvenLually, Lhe sanlLary wasLewaLer recharged by more and more resldenLs
exceeded Lhe asslmllaLlve capaclLy of Lhe resource ln densely developed areas,
causlng noLlceable lmpacLs Lo Lhe aqulfer, drlnklng waLer supply, and surface
waLer ecology, and prompLlng lmplemenLaLlon of wasLewaLer collecLlon and
LreaLmenL sysLems.
8ecognlzlng Lhe lmpacLs LhaL densely developed unsewered areas have on
groundwaLer and surface waLer quallLy, Suffolk CounLy has lmplemenLed
sanlLary sewerlng programs, and Lhrough ArLlcle 6 of Lhe CounLy SanlLary Code,
esLabllshed maxlmum allowable resldenLlal denslLles of one acre ln
CroundwaLer ManagemenL Zones (CMZ) lll, v and vl and x acre ln CMZs l, ll,
lv, vll and vlll for new developmenLs LhaL do noL lnclude wasLewaLer LreaLmenL
and dlsposal faclllLles. WaLer quallLy daLa and groundwaLer model slmulaLlons
show LhaL unsewered areas where properLy slzes are smaller Lhan one acre are
llkely Lo cause groundwaLer nlLrogen concenLraLlons LhaL exceed CMZ LargeL
levels of 6 mg/L. WaLer quallLy daLa and groundwaLer modellng also show LhaL
properLy slzes of x acre or smaller slgnlflcanLly lncrease Lhe rlsk of exceedlng
Lhe 10 mg/L nlLraLe MCL as shown by I|gure LS-2. 1hese model slmulaLlons of
nlLrogen levels are hlgher Lhan prevlously plannlng sLudles because roadways
(whlch would have covered LwenLy Lo LwenLy-flve percenL of Lhe land area)
were noL lncorporaLed lnLo Lhe evaluaLlon. lncorporaLlon of roadways would
have reduced Lhe overall nlLrogen load lncluded ln Lhe model, as well as Lhe
resulLlng nlLraLe concenLraLlon.
Historical land uses within
a community supply
wells contributing area
and travel times from the
water table to the well
screen were used to
relate land use to
groundwater quality.


xecotlve 5ommoty

uaLa provlded by Lhe SCu shows LhaL over slxLy percenL of resldenLlal parcels
ln Lhe CounLy are less Lhan or equal Lo Lhe mlnlmum x acre slze requlred by
ArLlcle 6, and lndeed, many exlsLlng resldences wlLh on-slLe wasLewaLer
dlsposal sysLems had already been consLrucLed on smaller parcels prlor Lo 1980
when ArLlcle 6 was enacLed. 1he observed nlLrogen levels ln groundwaLer,
whlch have conLlnued Lo lncrease slnce Lhe 1987 comp P/on, resulL from a
comblnaLlon of Lhe ArLlcle 6-compllanL and Lhe older non-compllanL parcels.

Sources of vCC conLamlnaLlon can lnclude boLh polnL sources, such as leaklng
underground sLorage Lanks, lllegal dlscharges and spllls, and non-polnL sources
such as sepLlc sysLem dlscharges. 8elaLlng Lhe presence of vCCs ln
groundwaLer Lo overlylng land use ls noL sLralghLforward, glven Lhe wldespread
use of vCCs, Lhe deLecLlons of low levels of vCCs ln shallow groundwaLer
LhroughouL Lhe CounLy, and Lhe myrlad of poLenLlal paLhways by whlch low
levels of Lhe conLamlnanLs can be lnLroduced Lo Lhe aqulfer sysLem. WaLer

An evaluation of the impacts
of historical land use and
nitrate concentrations
revealed that:

Nitrate levels were lowest in
wells with contributing areas
comprised primarily of open
space.

Nitrate levels in wells with
sewered contributing areas
were lower than nitrate levels
in unsewered areas.

Groundwater nitrogen levels
increase in unsewered areas
as housing density increases.

Wells with contributing areas
that comply with the density
requirements established by
Article 6 of the County
Sanitary Code complied with
target nitrate concentrations.

Agriculture remains a major
source of nitrate
contamination, particularly on
the North Fork; nitrogen
loadings are crop-specific.
Figure ES-2 Groundwater models were used to assess the impacts of hypothetical
unsewered residential areas of various densities upon nitrate concentraions in
downgradient groundwater.


xecotlve 5ommoty
quallLy daLa has revealed LhaL Lhe hlghesL levels of vCCs are found ln wells wlLh
lndusLrlal, commerclal, LransporLaLlon or lnsLlLuLlonal uses wlLhln Lhelr source
waLer areas. neverLheless, low levels of vCCs were wldely deLecLed ln
groundwaLer LhroughouL Lhe CounLy, lndlcaLlng a more wldespread low-level
source of Lhe observed conLamlnanLs, such as resldenLlal sepLlc sysLems. 8efore
LargeLed recommendaLlons Lo reduce Lhe release of vCCs Lo Lhe CounLy's
groundwaLer can be developed, a beLLer undersLandlng of Lhe poLenLlal sources
of Lhe observed conLamlnaLlon ls requlred.

SCuPS has been a ploneer ln Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon of pesLlclde lmpacLs Lo ground
and surface waLers. 1he resulLs of Lhelr early lnvesLlgaLlons led Lo expanded
pesLlcldes monlLorlng ln Suffolk CounLy and LhroughouL Lhe naLlon, Lo Lhe ban of
some pesLlcldes found Lo leach Lo groundwaLer, and Lo changes ln Lhe federal
and sLaLe pesLlclde reglsLraLlon processes Lo prevenL slmllar conLamlnaLlon from
occurrlng. esLlclde conLamlnaLlon ln Suffolk CounLy ls prlmarlly assoclaLed wlLh
agrlculLural land use.

1he publlc healLh lmpllcaLlons of low concenLraLlons of Cs ln waLer are only
now belng sLudled and are noL yeL well undersLood. Cs ln groundwaLer are
of mosL concern ln densely developed unsewered areas where sanlLary
wasLewaLer ls dlscharged dlrecLly Lo Lhe ground vla on-slLe sepLlc sysLems,
cesspools or leachlng flelds. SCuPS conLlnues Lo assess Lhe poLenLlal presence
of Cs ln groundwaLer, and monlLors llLeraLure and regulaLory lnlLlaLlves
perLalnlng Lo poLenLlal publlc healLh lmpllcaLlons.

Surface Water Quality
Suffolk CounLy's surface waLers are renowned for Lhelr beauLy and Lhelr
ecologlcal, recreaLlonal and economlc slgnlflcance. 8oLh Lhe Long lsland Sound
and Lhe econlc LsLuary have been deslgnaLed as esLuarles of naLlonal
slgnlflcance, Lwo of Lhe CounLy's souLh shore beaches have been lncluded on
Lhe 2010 llsL of Lhe 1op 10" beaches ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and Lhe CounLy's
sLreams, harbors and esLuarles have greaL ecologlcal value and slgnlflcance. 1he
Long lsland Sound (LlS), econlc LsLuary and SouLh Shore LsLuary 8eserve (SSL8)
have been Lhe sub[ecLs of focused sLudles for years, Lhe LlS Comprehenslve
ConservaLlon and ManagemenL lan (CCM), Lhe econlc LsLuary rogram (L)
CCM and Lhe SSL8 Comprehenslve ManagemenL lan (CM) all ldenLlfy a
number of sLraLegles and recommendaLlons Lo lmprove waLer quallLy, reduce
use lmpalrmenLs, and proLecL and resLore hablLaL and ecosysLems ln Lhe marlne
sysLems and Lhe fresh surface waLers LhaL feed Lhem.

Prior to extensive
development, precipitation
infiltrating down through
the ground surface
travelled through the
aquifer system to
discharge to one of the
Countys streams, or to
one of the surrounding
salt water bodies. In fact,
approximately 95 percent
of stream baseflow was
derived from groundwater.

Although water supply
pumping, sanitary
wastewater management
and stormwater
management have all
modified the Countys
predevelopment water
budget, groundwater
continues to be a
significant source of
baseflow to streams and
wetlands, and discharges
millions of gallons to
coastal waters each day.
Consequently,
groundwater quality can
have a significant impact
upon surface water
quality.


xecotlve 5ommoty
Figure ES-3 - Hypothetical watershed showing how land use can affect
groundwater and surface water quality
1hls lan focused on Lhe waLer quallLy of Lhe CounLy's fresh surface waLer
feaLures, parLlcularly as Lhey are lmpacLed by Lhe quallLy of groundwaLer
baseflow. I|gure LS-3 below lllusLraLes Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween groundwaLer
and sLream baseflow.

WlLhln Suffolk CounLy, new ?ork SLaLe has classlfled more Lhan 200 freshwaLer
sLreams and ponds, ldenLlfled over 30 coasLal plaln ponds dlsLlngulshed by
ecologlcal communlLles LhaL supporL rare and unusual planL specles, and
regulaLes over 1,030 freshwaLer weLlands coverlng nearly 24,000 acres
(n?SuLC, 2006). Cnly 13 of Lhe fresh waLer bodles have been lncluded on Lhe
new ?ork SLaLe urafL 2010 SecLlon 303(d) LlsL of lmpalred WaLers - an
lndlcaLlon LhaL Lhe quallLy of mosL sLreams, lakes, and ponds supporLs Lhelr besL
use. n?SuLC has ldenLlfled paLhogens, meLals, dlssolved oxygen, phosphorus,
ammonla, pesLlcldes and sllL/sedlmenL as Lhe prlmary conLamlnanLs causlng
lmpalrmenL of Lhe fresh surface waLers, and sLorm waLer runoff as Lhe source of
Lhese conLamlnanLs. A revlew of waLer quallLy daLa characLerlzlng Lwelve of Lhe
larger fresh sLreams ln Lhe CounLy revealed LhaL sLreams ln Lhe more densely


xecotlve 5ommoty
Even after sanitary sewering was completed in the Countys
Southwest Sewer District, groundwater baseflow is the major
source of streamflow.
developed wesLern parL of Lhe
CounLy showed hlgher levels of
vCCs Lhan sLreams locaLed farLher
Lo Lhe easL, and LhaL pesLlcldes were
prlmarlly deLecLed ln sLreams ln Lhe
agrlculLural easLern areas of Lhe
CounLy. ln general, as would be
expecLed based upon Lhelr
properLles, vCCs have a lower raLe
of deLecLlon, and lower reporLed
concenLraLlons, ln surface waLers
Lhan ln groundwaLer. Levels of
M18L, Lhe mosL frequenLly deLecLed
vCC, appeared Lo be decllnlng ln
recenL years, probably because sale
of gasollne conLalnlng M18L as an
addlLlve has been prohlblLed ln new
?ork SLaLe slnce 2004.

1he coasLal waLers borderlng Suffolk
CounLy are lmpacLed Lo varylng
degrees by conLamlnanLs lnLroduced
by polnL and prlmarlly, non-polnL sources. Cf Lhe 38 classlfled sallne waLers ln
Suffolk CounLy LhaL dlscharge Lo Lhe Long lsland Sound, only one, WesL Parbor
llshers lsland, ls ldenLlfled as lmpalred accordlng Lo Lhe n?SuLC 2010 drafL
303(d) llsL. Cf Lhe 67 classlfled sallne waLers along Lhe souLh shore lncludlng
CreaL SouLh 8ay, Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean, and Lhose LhaL draln Lo elLher of Lhese
waLers, 14 are consldered Lo be lmpalred. 1he esLuary programs have
demonsLraLed LhaL nuLrlenLs (parLlcularly nlLrogen) and paLhogens are prlmarlly
responslble for use lmpalrmenLs and for sLresslng Lhe llvlng marlne resources.

WlLhln Lhe Suffolk CounLy waLershed area, nonpolnL sources are Lhe ma[or
conLrlbuLors of nuLrlenLs and paLhogens. 8ecommendaLlons ldenLlfled by each
of Lhe esLuary programs focus on reduclng nlLrogen loadlng from sanlLary
wasLewaLer and ferLlllzaLlon, lmplemenLaLlon of besL managemenL pracLlces
(8MS) Lo lmprove sLormwaLer quallLy, and open space preservaLlon Lo lmprove
waLer quallLy and reduce lmpacLs on Lhe ecology of Suffolk CounLy's coasLal
waLers. 1he cumulaLlve lmpacLs of Lhese sLresses on Lhe overall healLh of Lhe
aquaLlc ecosysLem are noL well undersLood. LlLLle ls also known abouL Lhe
lmpacL of emerglng conLamlnanLs such as Cs on Lhe marlne resources, Lhe


xecotlve 5ommoty
cumulaLlve lmpacLs of pesLlcldes and Cs on Lhe aquaLlc ecosysLems have noL
yeL been well deflned, and are currenLly under sLudy.

non-polnL source conLrlbuLlons of nuLrlenLs, paLhogens and oLher
conLamlnanLs have been ldenLlfled as Lhe prlmary causes of surface waLer
quallLy lmpalrmenLs ln Suffolk CounLy. CroundwaLer conLlnues Lo provlde close
Lo nlneLy percenL of baseflow Lo mosL sLreams ln Lhe CounLy, and groundwaLer
dlscharge ls one prlmary source of nuLrlenL loadlng Lo fresh and coasLal surface
waLers. 1he groundwaLer models were used Lo dellneaLe Lhe land surface area
conLrlbuLlng groundwaLer baseflow Lo Lhe CounLy's sLreams and coasLal waLers
aL Llme of Lravel lnLervals ranglng from less Lhan one year Lo flfLy years as shown
by I|gure LS-4. undersLandlng Lhe land use Lypes wlLhln Lhe groundwaLer
conLrlbuLlng areas Lo a sLream can help Lo ldenLlfy Lhe sources of any observed

Figure ES-4 Precipitation falling upon the ground surface in the highlghted areas travels through the aquifer
system to discharge to County streams, harbors, and other coastal waters. The time that it takes the water to
travel from the water table to surface water discharge provides an indication of the time it will take for the effects
of management actions to be reflected in the surface water quality.


xecotlve 5ommoty
conLamlnaLlon and Lo gulde ldenLlflcaLlon and evaluaLlon of managemenL
opLlons Lo lmprove waLer quallLy, as lllusLraLed by I|gure LS-S. ManagemenL
acLlons lmplemenLed Lo reduce nuLrlenL and conLamlnanL loads Lo groundwaLer
wlLhln Lhe areas conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhe CounLy's surface waLer feaLures wlll reduce
Lhese non-polnL source loads Lo Lhe surface waLers. roLecLlng Lhe quallLy of
recharge ln Lhese areas wlll help Lo proLecL and lmprove surface waLer quallLy.
8ased on esLlmaLed Lravel Llme from Lhe waLer Lable Lo surface waLer dlscharge,
lL may Lake years for Lhe beneflLs of lmproved waLer quallLy Lo be fully reallzed.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Groundwater Quantity
Suffolk CounLy's exLenslve and producLlve aqulfer sysLem LhaL provldes Lhe sole
source of poLable waLer supply for Lhe CounLy's 1.3 mllllon resldenLs has been
sLudled for decades. All of Lhe CounLy's groundwaLer orlglnaLes as preclplLaLlon
LhaL recharges Lhe lsland - Lhe CounLy ls forLunaLe Lo recelve an annual average
of approxlmaLely 48 lnches of preclplLaLlon, relaLlvely evenly dlsLrlbuLed
LhroughouL Lhe year. Whlle Lhe amounL of preclplLaLlon LhaL recharges Lhe
aqulfer varles by season and locaLlon, on average, lL ls esLlmaLed LhaL
approxlmaLely 30 percenL of Lhe preclplLaLlon recharges Lhe aqulfers Lo provlde
an annual average of approxlmaLely 1367 mllllon gallons each day of recharge Lo
Lhe aqulfer sysLem. 1he callbraLed Maln 8ody, norLh lork, SouLh lork and
ShelLer lsland groundwaLer models were used Lo develop waLer balances Lo
beLLer undersLand Lhe CounLy's aqulfer sysLem and Lo begln Lo assess Lhe
magnlLude of Lhe lmpacLs LhaL could resulL from predlcLed lncreases ln sea level
for long Lerm plannlng purposes.

1he waLer balances compared aqulfer condlLlons LhaL would have exlsLed aL Lhe
Lurn of Lhe cenLury prlor Lo exLenslve developmenL Lo currenL condlLlons,
lncludlng conLemporary levels of publlc waLer supply pumplng and Lhe
operaLlon of sLormwaLer and wasLewaLer managemenL faclllLles. Long Lerm
average recharge raLes were based on preclplLaLlon records obLalned from
gauges aL Mlneola, 8rookhaven naLlonal LaboraLory, 8lverhead and
8rldgehampLon. 8ecenL levels of publlc waLer supply pumplng asslgned ln Lhe
model slmulaLlons were based on Lhe average annual pumplng raLes used for
Lhe Long lsland Source WaLer AssessmenL rogram evaluaLlons (SWA, 2003).
1he predevelopmenL and presenL day waLer balances are summarlzed by I|gure
LS-6.
under predevelopmenL condlLlons, preclplLaLlon, Lhe only source of recharge Lo
Lhe groundwaLer sysLem, Lraveled down Lhrough Lhe aqulfer sysLem, unLll lL was
ulLlmaLely dlscharged Lo surroundlng coasLal waLers, elLher as sLream baseflow
or as underflow. ConsLrucLlon and operaLlon of sanlLary sewerlng sysLems LhaL
dlscharge Lo surface waLers resulLs ln a neL loss of groundwaLer from Lhe aqulfer
sysLem, and a poLenLlal reducLlon ln Lhe local waLer Lable elevaLlon. 8ecause
groundwaLer provldes Lhe baseflow for Lhe CounLy's fresh surface waLer
feaLures, sanlLary sewerlng wlLh surface waLer dlscharge can also resulL ln a loss
of sLream baseflow.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Figure ES-6 Predevelopment and Present Day Water Balances
(All flows in million gallons per day)


xecotlve 5ommoty
1he consLrucLlon of sLormwaLer recharge baslns ln many parLs of Lhe CounLy has
lncreased recharge durlng Lhe growlng season, so LhaL on an annual basls,
recharge Lo Lhe aqulfer ls acLually sllghLly hlgher Lhan durlng pre-developmenL
condlLlons.
1he waLer balances conflrm LhaL on a CounLy-wlde basls, Lhe aqulfer sysLem can
susLaln currenL and pro[ecLed raLes of waLer supply pumplng. A comparlson of
pre-developmenL and currenL waLer balances also ldenLlfles a neL loss of
baseflow Lo area sLreams and Lo coasLal areas ln Lhose parLs of Lhe CounLy
where waLer supply pumplng ls noL reLurned Lo Lhe aqulfer vla on-slLe sepLlc
sysLems or small sewage LreaLmenL planLs dlscharglng Lo recharge beds. Suffolk
CounLy has evaluaLed Lhe lmpacLs of sanlLary sewerlng ln Lhe SouLhwesL Sewer
ulsLrlcL (SWSu) on sLreams and weLlands areas wlLhln LhaL dlsLrlcL. oLenLlal
lmpacLs of developmenL on sLreams, ponds, weLlands and lnLer-Lldal areas are
besL consldered on a locallzed basls, conslderlng area waLer supply pumplng,
developmenL, and sLormwaLer and sanlLary wasLewaLer managemenL
approaches.
Sea Leve| k|se
ln Lhe pasL, sea level had been rlslng along Lhe LasL CoasL aL a reporLed raLe of
beLween 0.34 and 0.43 lnches per decade (C||mate k|sk Informat|on, 2009).
Cver Lhe pasL cenLury, Lhe raLe of sea level rlse has been lncreaslng, wlLh Lhe
average raLe slnce 1900 now aL 1.2 lnches/decade. Clobal warmlng ls predlcLed
Lo furLher acceleraLe Lhe raLe of rlslng sea level, boLh as a resulL of Lhe
expanslon of Lhe warmlng oceans as shown on Lhe Lable Lo Lhe lefL, and as a
resulL of lce melL. 8apld lce melL scenarlos lncorporaLed lnLo oLher model
slmulaLlons predlcL even more slgnlflcanL lncreases ln sea level ln Lhe comlng
years Lhan are shown ln Lhe Lable.
1he groundwaLer models were used Lo esLlmaLe Lhe poLenLlal lmpacLs of sea
level rlse on Lhe aqulfer sysLem. 1he senslLlvlLy of model resulLs Lo fuLure sea
level lncreases of 1.0 and 2.0 feeL above mean sea level was assessed. 1he
predlcLed lncrease ln upper glaclal waLer levels on Lhe maln body of Lhe CounLy,
assumlng a 2 fooL rlse ln sea level, varled from less Lhan 0.23 feeL Lo 2 feeL, wlLh
groundwaLer levels predlcLed Lo lncrease by less Lhan 1 fooL ln mosL areas as
shown by I|gure LS-7. 1he predlcLed waLer Lable lncrease ls much lower along
Lhe souLh shore compared Lo Lhe norLh shore, because lncreases ln sLream
baseflow llmlL Lhe lncrease ln Lhe waLer Lable ln Lhe vlclnlLy of Lhe souLh shore
sLreams.
Decade
red|cted
Increase |n Sea
Leve|
2020s 2 Lo 3 lnches
2030s 7 Lo 12 lnches
2080s 12 Lo 23 lnches
Global Climate Change Model
Projections of Sea Level Rise in the
New York Area


xecotlve 5ommoty
1he lmpacLs of rlslng sea level are
predlcLed Lo be more slgnlflcanL on
Lhe forks and ShelLer lsland. lor
example, over mosL of Lhe norLh
lork, Lhe pro[ecLed lncrease ln waLer
level elevaLlon varles from 1 Lo 2 feeL,
and Lhe lmpacL ls markedly more
exLenslve Lhan pro[ecLed for Lhe maln
body of Lhe CounLy. Slmllar resulLs
were pro[ecLed by Lhe SouLh lork and
ShelLer lsland models. 1he slmulaLed
rlse ln Lhe freshwaLer/salLwaLer
lnLerface poslLlon was also assessed
for Lhe norLh and SouLh lorks and
ShelLer lsland, locallzed lncreases ln
Lhe elevaLlon of Lhe salL waLer
lnLerface wlll resulL ln a reducLlon ln
Lhe Lhlckness of Lhe freshwaLer
aqulfer sysLems.

ln Lhe comlng decades, Suffolk
CounLy wlll need Lo address Lhe
lmpacLs of pro[ecLed lncreases ln sea
level elevaLlon. Whlle Lhere are many
uncerLalnLles assoclaLed wlLh Lhe
lmpacLs of cllmaLe change, publlshed
research and Lhe resulLs of Clobal
CllmaLe Models conslsLenLly lndlcaLe
LhaL sea level wlll conLlnue Lo rlse aL
an acceleraLed pace. AddlLlonal
evldence lndlcaLes LhaL preclplLaLlon
ls lncreaslng ln Lhls parL of Lhe world,
and LhaL Lhe number of exLreme
preclplLaLlon evenLs ls also lncreaslng
ln Lhe norLheasLern unlLed SLaLes,
lncludlng Suffolk CounLy. Sea level
rlse may have profound lmpacLs on
low lylng coasLal areas, parLlcularly
along Lhe souLh shore and on Lhe forks, wlLh slgnlflcanL lmpllcaLlons for
lnfrasLrucLure such as sLormwaLer and wasLewaLer collecLlon and dlsposal
Figure ES-7 The predicted impacts of a two foot rise in sea level on
the groundwater table on the main body of Suffolk County and on the
North Fork were simulated using groundwater and salt water
intrusion models.


xecotlve 5ommoty
sysLems and waLer supply. 1he lmpacLs of sea level rlse and more frequenL
exLreme preclplLaLlon evenLs should be monlLored so LhaL wasLewaLer and
sLormwaLer runoff managemenL sLraLegles can be developed lf requlred. 1he
lmpacLs of sea level rlse on Lhe locaLlon of Lhe salL waLer lnLerface musL also be
monlLored and addressed from a waLer supply perspecLlve. LxLreme
preclplLaLlon evenLs wlll exacerbaLe exlsLlng dralnage problems, rellable
soluLlons can only be developed based upon daLa characLerlzlng Lhe magnlLude
of lncreased waLer levels and flows.
Drinking Water Supply
lrom a CounLy-wlde waLer quanLlLy perspecLlve, Suffolk CounLy's aqulfers can
readlly provlde Lhe average annual 292 mllllon gallons per day (mgd) requlred Lo
saLlsfy pro[ecLed fuLure (2030) waLer supply demands. Powever, as addlLlonal
wells are slLed Lo meeL pro[ecLed fuLure needs, Lhe effecLs of waLer supply
pumplng on groundwaLer-fed sLreams, ponds and weLlands musL be consldered,
and ln locallzed coasLal areas, pro[ecLed waLer supply demands may exceed Lhe
capaclLy of Lhe llmlLed shallow fresh waLer aqulfer. lrom a waLer quallLy
perspecLlve, mosL unLreaLed groundwaLer ln Lhe CounLy conLlnues Lo comply
wlLh exlsLlng drlnklng waLer quallLy crlLerla, and communlLy supplles are LreaLed
Lo remove Lhe low levels of vCCs or oLher conLamlnanLs LhaL source waLer
monlLorlng may ldenLlfy. CommunlLy supplles currenLly provlde poLable waLer
Lo more Lhan 87 percenL of Suffolk CounLy resldenLs, approxlmaLely 72 percenL
of Lhe populaLlon ls served by Lhe SCWA. CommunlLy supplles are generally Lhe
besL means of provldlng a rellable supply of poLable waLer LhaL complles wlLh all
appllcable drlnklng waLer crlLerla or MCLs.

Several poLenLlal lssues of concern LhaL affecL some resldenLs' access Lo a
rellable and safe supply of waLer have been ldenLlfled. 1hese concerns resulL
boLh from Lhe ablllLy of Lhe aqulfer resource Lo supply sufflclenL waLer LhaL
complles wlLh all appllcable drlnklng waLer crlLerla, and Lhe ablllLy of exlsLlng
lnfrasLrucLure Lo meeL waLer supply demands, now and ln Lhe fuLure.

kesource Constra|nts - 1wo areas of Lhe CounLy where exlsLlng groundwaLer
quallLy has affecLed Lhe ablllLy Lo uLlllze Lhe exlsLlng groundwaLer supply have
been ldenLlfled durlng Lhls sLudy:

norLhporL and LasL norLhporL, where nlLraLe levels measured ln
unLreaLed waLer from exlsLlng SCWA MagoLhy wells have ranged from 8
mg/L Lo 12 mg/L, and


xecotlve 5ommoty
SouLhold, where Lhe exLenL of Lhe shallow aqulfer ls llmlLed by
underlylng and surroundlng salL waLer, and where agrlculLural
conLamlnanLs such as nlLraLes and pesLlcldes have caused wldespread
groundwaLer conLamlnaLlon.
Infrastructure L|m|tat|ons - lnfrasLrucLure llmlLaLlons also affecL Lhe rellable
provlslon of poLable supply. CusLomers of some smaller, aglng communlLy and
non-communlLy supply sysLems would be served more rellably by a larger
communlLy suppller such as Lhe SCWA. A ClS analysls compleLed as parL of Lhls
sLudy concluded LhaL approxlmaLely 47,000 prlvaLe wells conLlnue Lo provlde
poLable supply Lo Suffolk CounLy resldenLs. Shallow prlvaLe wells are more
suscepLlble Lo conLamlnaLlon from near surface acLlvlLles and are noL LesLed
wlLh Lhe same frequency as communlLy supply wells, ln facL less Lhan 2 percenL
of prlvaLe wells are LesLed by Lhe SCuPS each year. A sampllng efforL conducLed
by Lhe SCuPS beLween 1997 and 2006 found LhaL almosL 10 percenL of Lhe
samples collecLed from prlvaLe wells exceeded Lhe drlnklng waLer sLandard for
nlLraLe and approxlmaLely seven percenL showed vCCs above 3 g/L.

Whlle Lhere are adequaLe supplles Lo meeL all exlsLlng and pro[ecLed poLable
waLer needs on a CounLywlde basls, exlsLlng lnfrasLrucLure ln some parLs of Lhe
CounLy ls noL adequaLe Lo respond Lo Lhe lncreased waLer supply demand
resulLlng from Lhe early mornlng use of auLomaLlc lrrlgaLlon sysLems durlng hoL,
dry summer perlods, as lllusLraLed durlng Lhe summer of 2010. CommunlLy
supply pumplng durlng Lhe wlnLer monLhs has only lncreased by approxlmaLely
13 mgd slnce 1987, whlle pumplng durlng Lhe summer has lncreased by 100
mgd or more as shown by I|gure LS-8. Much of Lhls lncrease ls aLLrlbuLed Lo Lhe
lnsLallaLlon and use of auLomaLlc lrrlgaLlon sysLems.

ro[ecLed waLer supply demands for Lhe year 2030 were based on populaLlon
pro[ecLlons provlded by Lhe SCu and provlslon of communlLy supply Lo all
resldenLs currenLly uslng prlvaLe wells. Conslderlng peak waLer supply pumplng
demands LhaL are based on exlsLlng observed peak demand facLors, Lhe 2030
pro[ecLlons lndlcaLe LhaL addlLlonal wells wlll be requlred ln mosL 1owns ln Lhe
CounLy. ln facL, over one hundred new supply wells would be requlred ln Lhe
CounLy based upon pro[ecLlon of currenL peak waLer demand paLLerns.
AlLernaLlves Lo provlde poLable waLer Lo CounLy resldenLs, conslderlng
LreaLmenL, conveyance from Lhe lne 8arrens, and conservaLlon were ldenLlfled
and evaluaLed.


xecotlve 5ommoty

Wastewater Treatment Historical Context

1he cesspoo| |s bas|ca||y wrong ln prlnclple and leads Lo ground waLer
polluLlon and unsaLlsfacLory surface condlLlons.. SepLlc Lanks provlde a more
deslrable form of sewage dlsposal buL are aL besL an lnefflclenL unlL whlch
requlre perlodlc cleanlng and relaLlvely large areas for dlsposal of Lhe llquld
fracLlon Lhrough seepage Lrenches. ln all lnsLances of lnefflclenL or lneffecLlve
LreaLmenL, parLly LreaLed sewage from source may reach Lhe ground waLer..
1he hazard of Lhls condlLlon ls Lhe posslblllLy of LransmlLLlng waLer-borne
dlseases, such as Lyphold, cholera, dysenLery or oLher organlsm of lnLesLlnal..
resenLly belng dlscharged lnLo Lhe ground waLers are wasLes LoLallng some
60,000,000 gallons a day.. Shore areas are noL conduclve Lo Lhe use of
lndlvldual dlsposal sysLems, wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL overflow from cesspools,
seepage of polluLed ground waLer and lllegal dlrecL dlscharges of sewage flnd
Lhelr way lnLo Lhe surroundlng waLer."-ubllc Pearlng, Sewer dlsLrlcL no.1,
8owe, AlbersLon & Walsh, 1966

1969: 1) 98 of Lhe homes ln Suffolk CounLy were noL served by sanlLary
sewers, 2) no Suffolk CounLy Sewer ulsLrlcLs or S1s have been esLabllshed,
and 3) Lhere were, however, 20 munlclpal and 20 prlvaLe S1s ln-place.
-utllltles loveototy & Aoolysls, nassau-Suffolk 8eglonal lannlng 8oard.

Cn !anuary 21, 1973, Lhe LnvlronmenLal uefense lund peLlLloned Lhe u.S.
LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon Agency (LA) AdmlnlsLraLor Lo deslgnaLe Lhe aqulfers
underlylng nassau and Suffolk CounLles, Long lsland, new ?ork, as a sole source
aqulfer under Lhe provlslon of Lhe AcL.

LA '73: 1he Suffolk CounLy WaLer AuLhorlLy has lndlcaLed LhaL nlLraLe
concenLraLlons have been lncreaslng.. AlLhough Lhe problem ls less severe ln
Lhls more sparsely populaLed counLy, parallel Lrends of developmenL lndlcaLe
LhaL nlLraLe conLamlnaLlon wlll approach LhaL of nassau CounLy ln Lhe fuLure..
1he NassauSuffo|k Aqu|fer System |s h|gh|y vu|nerab|e to contam|nat|on.

Vote ropost|on #1: Shall 8esoluLlon no. 348-1969, adopLed by Lhe 8oard of Supervlsors
of Lhe CounLy of Suffolk, new ?ork, on !une 9, 1969, maklng cerLaln afflrmaLlve flndlngs and
deLermlnaLlons relaLlng Lo Lhe esLabllshmenL of a counLy sewer dlsLrlcL, Lo be known as Lhe
SouLhwesL Sewer ulsLrlcL.aL a cosL of $291,730,000"
63,000,000 - lederal & SLaLe CranLs
226,000,00 - lundlng requlred
229,623,730 - lnLeresL on bond over 40yrs
$4S6,373,7S0 - 1oLal cosL Lo SWSu ['69 $]
Pouses wlLh assessed valuaLlon of $3,800 ln 8abylon and $3,000 ln lsllp would have an annual
charge of $170.

ln 1969 Lhe avg. llfe of a cesspool was 8-14yrs and one ln four was falllng. A
new one cosL $420

Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan (Executive Summary)

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Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan (Executive Summary)

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January 2014 S0FF0LK C00NTY C0NPREBENSIvE WATER RES00RCES NANAuENENT PLAN| ES-1

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