Last Friday, Save The Great South Bay welcomed a standing-room-only audience to Guardians of the Water: Long Island’s Waterkeepers, an energizing and inspiring morning focused on the future of our region’s waters.
🎥 Missed the event? Watch the full replay here:
https://youtu.be/emYQ0RbNf9I?si=iP80v-QZH_t2H4Af
The event brought together some of Long Island’s most dedicated clean water advocates for a powerful regional conversation on the challenges—and opportunities—facing our bays, estuaries, rivers, and coastal communities.
Most exciting of all, the morning served as a warm public welcome for Andy Mirchel as the newly appointed Long Island South Shore Waterkeeper, a major milestone for our region and a powerful step forward in protecting the waters from the eastern edges of Jamaica Bay to the Moriches Narrows.
What Waterkeepers Do
Waterkeepers are full-time advocates and watchdogs for their waterways, working every day to ensure our waters remain clean, fishable, and swimmable.
They serve as the eyes and ears on the water, responding to pollution reports, patrolling shorelines and waterways, identifying threats in real time, and holding polluters accountable when necessary.
Their work spans:
- Water quality monitoring and scientific data collection
- Pollution response and source tracking
- Policy advocacy and environmental enforcement
- Habitat restoration and long-term stewardship
- Community education and public engagement
- Regional collaboration across shared watersheds
Because water does not recognize municipal boundaries, Waterkeepers also play a critical role in helping communities understand how local actions impact the larger regional ecosystem.
The Regional Issues We’re Facing
A major focus of the discussion was the reality that many of Long Island’s most urgent water quality challenges are regional in scale and interconnected across bays, rivers, tributaries, and coastal waters.
The panel highlighted shared issues including:
- Nitrogen pollution from wastewater and aging septic systems
- Stormwater runoff carrying fertilizers, debris, and contaminants
- Harmful algal blooms and low dissolved oxygen
- Habitat degradation and loss of shellfish ecosystems
- Climate-driven flooding, sea level rise, and coastal resilience challenges
- The need for expanded sewering and wastewater infrastructure
- Regional policy coordination across jurisdictions
While each Waterkeeper protects a distinct waterbody, the conversation made clear that these threats do not stop at town, county, or watershed lines.
Thoughtful Leadership on Stage
A special thank you goes to Dave Fatizzo and the Long Island Association, whose thoughtful moderation helped guide a lively and solutions-oriented discussion.
The morning was opened by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, whose remarks reinforced the growing momentum around sewer infrastructure, nitrogen reduction, and long-term investments in water quality.
We were also honored to welcome:
- Legislator Anthony Piccirillo
- Legislator Jorge Guadron
- Legislator Jim Mazzarella
- Legislator Steve Flotteron
Their presence highlighted the importance of collaboration between advocacy organizations, scientists, community leaders, and elected officials.
The Big Takeaway: Awareness Must Lead to Action
One of the most powerful themes from the conversation was simple but important:
Awareness is only the beginning.
People care deeply about clean water. But lasting change happens when we build the systems, infrastructure, and policies that make better choices easier.
From stronger sewering solutions and stormwater controls to restoration projects and public education, Waterkeepers play a unique role in bridging science, policy, and community action.
They do not just respond to problems—they help build long-term solutions that protect waterways across the entire region.
Protecting What Connects Us All
Long Island’s waterways are at the heart of our environment, economy, identity, and quality of life.
Events like this remind us that real progress happens when science, advocacy, government, and community come together around a shared purpose.
We are deeply grateful to our panelists, moderator, elected leaders, and every attendee who helped make this such a meaningful and energizing morning.
This is what regional collaboration looks like.
This is how we protect what connects us all.
🎥 Missed the event? Watch the full replay here:
https://youtu.be/emYQ0RbNf9I?si=iP80v-QZH_t2H4Af
