From left: Prof. Chris Gobler of Stonybrook/SCERP, Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizen’s Campaign For The Environment, Richard Amper, Pine Barrens Society, Kevin McDonald, Nature Conservancy, Bob Deluca, Group for The East End
September 10th marks the launch of The Long Island Clean Water Partnership A consortium of 125 organizations (and growing), the partnership is dedicated to addressing the biggest threat facing Long Island and its future — contaminated ground water that is both endangering our drinking water and killing off our bays, rivers and lakes. It is not an exaggeration or hyperbole to say that this crisis is the biggest environmental story of the year nationally. As New York continues to recover from Sandy and rebuilds, we are now also faced with a Long Island that is rapidly becoming unlivable due to nitrogenous waste in the ground water, the 117 pesticides in our drinking water, and the pharmaceuticals we throw away or flush down the toilet. The nitrogenous waste is from septic tanks and from lawn fertilizers, from the over 195 small sewage treatment plants scattered across the island, and from antiquated or crippled sewage treatment plants like the one in Bay Park, damaged severely by Sandy.
If we do nothing, then The Long Island we know will soon be surrounded by dead bays and the drinking water will become non potable. Luckily, there are things we can do as citizens to help stem the tide:
What you can do
Long Island Clean Water Partnership — What Can You Do
Read more about The Long Island Clean Water Partnership here: The Long Island Clean Water Partnership Overview