Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) Newsletter

July 2018

Visit DEC's LINAP webpage for more information about LINAP, past newsletters, documents, and more.

This Month's Topics:

• Long Island Regional Planning Council Issues a Request for Qualifications for Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting
• National Coastal Resilience Fund
• Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program
• Town of Hempstead Unveils Plans to Re-open Water Testing Lab
• New York Department of State Releases the 2017 Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve Coordinated Water Resources Monitoring Strategy
• South Shore Estuary Reserve Program Implementation Specialist Needed
• Call for Nominations for South Shore Estuary Reserve Council Stewardship Award
• Governor Cuomo Awards Over $1 Million in Clean Water Infrastructure Funds to Springs School in East Hampton 

Long Island Regional Planning Council Issues a Request for Qualifications for Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting

The Long Island Regional Planning Council issued a Request for Qualifications from organizations and institutions that are interested in participating in projects to collect, analyze and report on water quality data from Nassau County’s south shore surface waters.The project goals are to expand water quality monitoring and provide uniform analysis and reporting. Specific water quality monitoring objectives include: a) fill water quality data gaps, b) document conditions in anticipation of planned Wastewater Treatment Plant nitrogen load reductions, c) document water quality in areas planned for bio-extraction, and d) identify locations for bioremediation initiatives.

A copy of the Request for Qualifications can be found here: Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting, Request for Qualifications.

Responses are due on Monday, July 30, 2018 at 4 p.m.

National Coastal Resilience Fund

The 2018 National Coastal Resilience Fund, as authorized by the National Oceans and Coastal Security Act, will invest up to $30 million in the restoration or expansion of natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, mangroves, coastal forests, coastal rivers, and barrier islands.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a Request For Proposals (RFP) to use the new fund. The request is for projects that restore, increase and strengthen natural infrastructure to ultimately protect coastal communities, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and allow communities to recover more quickly from hazardous weather events. For more information, visit the National Coastal Resilience Fund webpage.

Proposals are due Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.

Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that $275 million in grant funding is available to municipalities with infrastructure projects that protect or improve water quality and/or public health. This funding, available through the the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program, is part of the Governor's $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. Grant applications and additional information are available on the Environmental Facilities Corporation website.

Applications are due on Friday, September 7, 2018 at 5 p.m.

Town of Hempstead Unveils Plans to Re-open Water Testing Lab

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen and Councilwoman Erin King-Sweeney were joined by environmental and planning representatives from the Long Island Regional Planning Council and the Town’s Department of Conservation and Waterways to unveil plans to re-open the Town’s water testing laboratory that was shuttered after the discovery of damage relating to Superstorm Sandy. The lab is being restored with $400,000 under the town’s five-year capital spending plan and will be powered by solar panels and the town’s wind turbine.

The Town Supervisor and the Town Board are supporting the effort towards re-opening the facility, with a new and broadened vision for the role of the analytical laboratory on Long Island through an expanded collaborative partnership with local universities and other key stakeholders including environmental agencies, not-for-profits and the private sector.  A Request for Expression of Interest has been issued and can be found on the town's website.

Proposals are due on Friday, September 14, 2018 at 5 p.m.

New York Department of State Releases the 2017 Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve Coordinated Water Resources Monitoring Strategy

The New York Department of State has released the 2017 Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve (Reserve) Coordinated Water Resources Monitoring Strategy (CWRMS). This project was a collaborative effort between the New York Department of State and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Science Center in Coram, New York.  It compiles information and recommendations to help managers and Reserve stakeholders efficiently evaluate waters currently being monitored and address areas where necessary data are lacking.

The Strategy will guide future environmental monitoring and coordinate efforts to improve water quality, ecology, and the regional economy. The report will also help coordinate monitoring data on important challenges facing the Reserve, such as failing and outdated onsite wastewater treatment systems, declining fisheries and shellfish landings, wetlands loss, and beach closures.

The CWRMS report is available on the USGS website and the associated CWRMS mapper is available with USGS.

South Shore Estuary Reserve Program Implementation Specialist Needed

The Department of State and the South Shore Estuary Reserve (Reserve) has recently released an advertisement for a Program Implementation Specialist to work out of the Reserve Office in Hauppauge, NY. The full advertisement and job description is available on the job search website Indeed. Applicants should respond directly to the announcement through the Indeed website.

Call for Nominations for South Shore Estuary Reserve Council Stewardship Award

The South Shore Estuary Reserve Council Stewardship Award recognizes a wide range of Reserve work from residents, organizations, businesses, municipalities, or other entities in New York State that have made significant contributions to preserve and protect the Reserve’s unique natural environment and maritime traditions. Nominees should demonstrate initiative and innovation in advancing one or more of the Reserve Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) (PDF) implementation outcomes.

For more information about the stewardship awards including: award description, selection criteria and nomination form, visit the South Shore Estuary Reserve website.

Nomination forms are due August 24, 2018.

Governor Cuomo Awards Over $1 Million in Clean Water Infrastructure Funds to Springs School in East Hampton

Governor Cuomo awarded $1.33 million in grant funding to the Springs School in the town of East Hampton, to install an innovative wastewater treatment system to protect Long Island's surface and groundwater. With this funding, Springs School will replace its 46-year-old failing septic system with a new wastewater treatment system. These upgrades will help to decrease nitrogen and bacteria contributions to Pussy's Pond and Accabonac Harbor while also benefiting the overall health of Long Island's groundwater aquifer. This project is expected to reduce nitrogen concentrations by up to 94 percent.

Funding for this project was made available through the Governor's Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.