The 2022 Long Island Sound Report Card is out. Released last week, the report revealed that water quality improvements are leveling off, and featured concerns about rising water temperatures.
That’s according to the biennial report from Save The Sound, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Larchmont.
The organization has compiled water testing results from Long Island Sound over the last 14 years, and from four years of testing more than 50 bays and bay segments in the region.
“We’re finding evidence that investment in clean water infrastructure leads to measurable benefits for Long Island Sound,” David Ansel, regional director of water protection for Save the Sound, said in a statement.” It’s also clear that there is much more to be done, particularly in stressed bays throughout the length of the Sound, as well as in the western Sound.”
The report offers a letter-grading system. Highlights from the report revealed both “good news and bad news.” While some portion of the sound earned A+ grades, others did not fare nearly as well.
Among the concerns, the organization found that trends “towards improving open water quality have stalled in several portions of the Sound and poor grades in bays have persisted.” It also revealed that “previous gains in water quality may be threatened by rising water temperature in Long Island Sound,” according to Save the Sound. Those rising water temperatures can trigger damaging impacts on the marine environment. Rising temperatures increase the risk for hypoxia – low levels of oxygen in the water.
The “warmer the water, the less oxygen it is able to hold,” according to Save the Sound. “Many longtime residents of the region remember the severe hypoxic conditions that plagued the Sound back in the 1970s and 1980s, when fish kills were commonplace between Bridgeport, CT, and New York City.”
Still there were some hopeful signs about the Sound’s future, including good indicators about its eastern section, which has responded to protection efforts. And, even along the western portion of the Sound, the work toward reducing nitrogen pollution are “having a positive impact,” which is “demonstrated by modest improvement in open waters of New York City.”
The specifics
That compilation of 14 years of data showed that the coordinated efforts in not only conservation but also in improved wastewater treatment aided in cleaning the Sound.
The waters of eastern Long Island Sound continue to register high marks, driven by strong tidal exchange with the Atlantic Ocean and lower population density, relative to areas further west, according to the report. The Eastern Basin and Central Basin of the Sound received A+ and A grades.
Yet, after years of gradual improvement, particularly in the late 2010s, the Western Basin and Eastern Narrows stalled at B+ and C grades. That finding has prompted science advisors reviewing the data to warn about the potential for regression. The Western Basin and Eastern Narrows represent a large area of the Sound, from Bridgeport on the Connecticut shoreline and Port Jefferson on the Long Island shoreline, to New York City.
As in previous years, the Western Narrows of Long Island Sound received an F. Still, experts saw potential for improvement, noting that “[s]ubstantial financial investment in nitrogen reduction at area sewage treatment plants appears to be having a gradual, positive effect.”
The score for an indicator of water quality in the Western Narrows, dissolved organic carbon, rose from a “rock bottom 0% score in 2008 to a 43%,”according to Save the Sound. Combined with results from other indicators, the DOC grade still left the Western Narrows “short of a passing grade with much more work to be done. Still, the gains indicate that nitrogen reduction is having an impact.”
The news for bays was less promising. Of the 53 bay segments monitored, 57% received grades of C, D, or F, with a mere 11 bay segments earning an A. Bays are “highly susceptible to pollutants from their neighboring communities,” according to the Save the Sound. While local efforts underway have produced some improvements, the low overall grades show the impact that pollution has on coastal waters. This is especially true where tidal exchange with the open Sound is low and pollutant loads from rivers and streams feeding into bays are high. The report reaffirmed prior evidence that the quality of nearby open water in the Sound does not always predict the quality of water in adjacent bays. Even bays located near the most pristine sections of open water can still score poorly, due to localized pollution and other factors.
As for rising water temperatures, Jamie Vaudrey, one of report card’s science advisors, shared this concern: “Reducing nitrogen pollution continues to be a critical issue which is only made worse with rising temperatures from climate change,” he said.” Implementing additional approaches for nitrogen reduction is an urgent priority in order to continue improving water quality in the Sound.”
“The good news contained in this report is that tactics designed to improve water quality in Long Island Sound have been effective,” Jason Krumholz, a science advisor behind the report, said in a statement. “It takes reliable long-term data to identify what is working and where, and just as important, what areas need more help. While progress has been made, continued efforts are necessary to meet our ultimate goals.”
More information about the report is available at SoundHealthExplorer.com.
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November 22, 2022 at 02:17AM
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