Water

DEC Releases Final Long Island Watershed Action Agenda Five-Year Blueprint Outlines Plan to Advance Long Island’s Clean Water Goals

DEC Releases Final Long Island Watershed Action Agenda Five-Year Blueprint Outlines Plan to Advance Long Island’s Clean Water Goals

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the release of the finalized Long Island Watershed Action Agenda (PDF). The Action Agenda is a clear-cut blueprint for water quality improvements, aquatic habitat conservation, groundwater protection, and the public engagement necessary to ensure success for the surface, coastal, and ground waters of Nassau and Suffolk counties.

SCWA Completes Phase 1 of Water Main Project

SCWA Completes Phase 1 of Water Main Project

The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) has completed the first phase of one of their most ambitious projects in decades. The South River Road water main is set to bring clean water to residences in Calverton whose wells have been impacted by PFAS – otherwise known as “forever chemicals.”

Advocates urge Gov. Hochul to sign bill to save horseshoe crabs

Advocates urge Gov. Hochul to sign bill to save horseshoe crabs

Environmentalists are calling on New York state lawmakers to save the horseshoe crab.

Advocates rallied in Northport on Tuesday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the “Horseshoe Crab Protection Act,” which would ban taking the animals from state waters for commercial or medical use.

Residents speak out at state energy plan hearing in Stony Brook

Residents speak out at state energy plan hearing in Stony Brook

On Sept. 29, a mix of grassroots organizers, student activists, utility workers, elected officials, and environmental professionals voiced varying priorities at the New York State draft energy plan hearing at Stony Brook University. The university saw multiple outdoor rallies in addition to 2 ½ hours of public comments on the 15-year plan, with concerns covering jobs, affordability, environmental safety, and more. 

DEC: Brookhaven must submit landfill cleanup plan after report cites dump as a source of toxic plume

DEC: Brookhaven must submit landfill cleanup plan after report cites dump as a source of toxic plume

Brookhaven officials have been ordered by state environmental authorities to prepare a landfill cleanup plan that could include closing the 51-year-old facility after an inspection earlier this year found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in a miles-long plume emanating from the dump.

Editorial: Federal money, not delays needed to protect the water we drink

Editorial: Federal money, not delays needed to protect the water we drink

No place could be more impacted than Nassau County by the EPA’s decision to postpone by two years the deadline for water utilities to comply with new federal water standards for PFAS until 2031.

These chemicals are dangerous, having been linked to a large number of illnesses – kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune suppression, thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications.

The Editorial Board: New Yorkers deserve better oversight of local waterways than the DEC is providing

The Editorial Board: New Yorkers deserve better oversight of local waterways than the DEC is providing

Attorney General Letitia James is right when she states: “Every New Yorker deserves clean, safe water.”

But it takes more than an assertion to make clean water happen. Fighting the pollution that continues to threaten the water we drink and area waterways that support wildlife and recreation takes leadership and aggressive measures from the state. It doesn’t look like we’re getting enough of either from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Long Island's vulnerable South Shore Estuary Reserve gets a $2.4 million funding boost

Long Island's vulnerable South Shore Estuary Reserve gets a $2.4 million funding boost

The Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve, a sprawling 70-mile-long network of waterways vulnerable to environmental pressures, will receive a $2.4 million infusion of state funding.

The New York State Department of State, at a press conference at Tobay Beach Wednesday afternoon, said eight municipalities, nonprofits and agencies earned the awards through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Local Assistance Grant Program.

Environmentalists urge Long Island's congressional reps to join Suozzi effort in reversing 'forever chemicals' rule delay

Environmentalists urge Long Island's congressional reps to join Suozzi effort in reversing 'forever chemicals' rule delay

Long Island’s congressional delegation should show a unified, bipartisan front in convincing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin against delaying enforcement of new limits to so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water, environmentalists say.

New York State announces record investment in water infrastructure

New York State announces record investment in water infrastructure

In the most recent fiscal year, New York made more investments in water infrastructure than in any prior year.

Announcing the record spending Wednesday at Albany’s Corning Preserve, President and CEO of New York’s Environmental Facilities Corporation Maureen Coleman says nearly 330 projects were executed with financial assistance in the last fiscal year -- a 55 percent increase year-to-year.

Governor Hochul Celebrates Record $3.4 Billion Investment in Water Infrastructure in State Fiscal Year 2025

Governor Hochul Celebrates Record $3.4 Billion Investment in Water Infrastructure in State Fiscal Year 2025

Environmental Facilities Corporation's Financial Assistance is Making Projects Affordable for New Yorkers, Safeguarding Drinking Water, and Improving Water Quality in Support of Nation-Leading Clean Water Goals. More Than a Half Billion Dollars Awarded to Local Governments that Worked with Governor Hochul’s Community Assistance Teams

Suffolk advisory group says $44M Oakdale Sewer Expansion Project should get top priority for construction

Suffolk advisory group says $44M Oakdale Sewer Expansion Project should get top priority for construction

Wastewater improvement projects from Oakdale to Huntington Station totaling $3.5 billion could be first in line for Suffolk County funding from its Water Quality Restoration Fund based on the newly formed board's rankings of 30 projects.

The board also recommended the county increase its grants for homeowners to upgrade to enhanced septic systems by $5,000.

Discolored water flowing into Nissequogue River after contractor struck an underground spring in Smithtown

Discolored water flowing into Nissequogue River after contractor struck an underground spring in Smithtown

Discolored water continues to run into the Nissequogue River along Paul T. Given Park after a contractor struck an underground spring on Aug. 2, a spokesperson for the town of Smithtown said.

Experts like Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito said the situation looks worse than it is.

Navy set to open treatment plant in September to contain Grumman plume

Navy set to open treatment plant in September to contain Grumman plume

The U.S. Navy is set to open a new treatment plant that is expected to help contain the extensive Grumman groundwater plume slowly moving south in Nassau County.

The Navy plant on Union Avenue, near Hempstead Turnpike in Bethpage, is expected to be operational in September, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Cheese manufacturer polluted water for months before Ischua Creek die-off

Cheese manufacturer polluted water for months before Ischua Creek die-off

Great Lakes Cheese often polluted Ischua Creek, data shows

It has been nearly a month since the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began investigating wastewater discharge from Great Lakes Cheese that likely killed tens of thousands of fish and countless other aquatic species in Ischua Creek.

EPA policy shift plan will have detrimental consequences for climate and public health, LI advocates say

EPA policy shift plan will have detrimental consequences for climate and public health, LI advocates say

 The Trump administration's plan to rescind a rule used to enforce limits on greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles will jeopardize health and safety on Long Island while undermining billions of dollars New York has spent electrifying the transportation sector, local environmental advocates and scientific experts say. 

The EPA’s Repeal of Core Greenhouse Gas Rules

The EPA’s Repeal of Core Greenhouse Gas Rules

“Trump’s EPA to repeal core of greenhouse gas rules,” was the Reuters headline this week as Lee Zeldin, chosen by Donald Trump to be administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced what Reuters said “will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, as well as tailpipe emission standards for vehicles, removing the legal foundation of greenhouse gas regulations across industries.”