Levels of nitrate, ammonia, and other pollutants that degrade water quality and damage coastal wetlands are decreasing in the Western Bays off the south shore of Nassau County, according to a report released by local organizations and agencies, including The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, the Town of Hempstead, and the Long Island Regional Planning Council.
The report, “Water Quality Trends in Hempstead Bay, NY from 1968-2023,” was discussed at an August 15 press conference at the Town of Hempstead Marine Laboratory and Biological Field Station at Point Lookout.
The decrease in pollutants was credited to multiple efforts to improve the condition of the Western Bays, such as upgrades to wastewater treatment infrastructure, including the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility, the Long Beach Water Pollution Control Plant, and the Bay Park Conveyance Project.
Dr. Steve Raciti, Hofstra associate professor of biology and one of the guest speakers at the press briefing, was awarded a five-year grant in 2019, totaling more than $1 million from the Long Island Regional Planning Council to serve as principal investigator on the study and lead author of the report. Generous financial support was also provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan.
At the press briefing, Don Clavin, Hempstead town supervisor, and John Cameron, chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, noted that it is essential to continue comprehensive multilevel efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution in the waterways.
“The clean water partnership between Hofstra University and the Town of Hempstead goes back decades and is only one example of the National Center for Suburban Studies’ engagement with government, businesses, not for profits and community groups to create a more environmentally sustainable region,” said Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies.
“The partnership and the community-based research philosophy behind it are important, not only because they leverage the expertise of the university’s professors and students and the town’s conservation experts,” Levy continued. “Collaboration between institutions of higher learning and municipalities help the state and town to deliver cost-effective services, benefiting taxpayers and the environment.”
Sources of nitrogen pollution include wastewater treatment plant discharges; septic systems and leaking sewage infrastructure; fertilizer used on lawns, gardens, and farm fields; stormwater runoff; vehicles; and fossil fuel power plants.
Nitrogen pollution results in huge environmental and economic costs. In addition to algal blooms and the degradation and loss of habitat, Dr. Raciti said, “One estimate is that it costs the United States approximately $210 billion per year in damage to the economy, human health, and the environment. It leads to declines in property values, tourism, quality of life, and loss of economic vitality in coastal communities.”
“It really does make economic sense to deal with this issue,” he continued. “Not only does it give us more vital communities, cleaner water, and cleaner ecosystems, but at the end of the day, it actually contributes toward saving us money, saving us those environmental harms that have real costs to people, to society, and to the economy.”
Water quality samples were collected from a series of 40 surface water stations, three continuous monitoring sites, and 20 deep water locations within the Western Bays, as well as 12 inland sites to monitor nitrogen deposition via rainwater and atmospheric conditions.
Nitrogen is the leading cause of water quality deterioration in Long Island’s estuaries, threatening ecosystem health as well as the region’s economic well-being. Excess nitrogen causes algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions, fish kills, and degraded wetlands and marine habitats. Nitrogen also contaminates the groundwater, which is the sole source of Long Island’s drinking water supply.
The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University is a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to promoting the study of suburbia’s problems, as well as its promise. Its mission is to advance the goals of suburban sustainability, social equity, and economic development through research, education, and public outreach.
