This Week's Updates:

• N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship Application Period
• WQIP Land Acquisition for Source Water Protection Toolkit
• Annual Water Withdrawal Reporting
• Preservation of Pine Barrens Land Critical to Protect Long Island's Sole Source Aquifer

N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship Application Period

Applications are being accepted for the N.G. Kaul Memorial Scholarship. In honor of the former Director of the Division of Water, up to $5,000 in scholarships is available to students pursuing graduate or doctoral degrees in environmental/civil engineering or environmental science concentrating on water quality who show a commitment to government service.

Scholarship applications are available on the NYWEA Scholarship webpage. Applications are due by February 28, 2019. 

New WQIP Land Acquisition for Source Water Protection Toolkit

Recipients of Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant funding to acquire land for source water protection can now utilize the WQIP Land Acquisition for Source Water Protection Toolkit webpage. DEC has developed standards and guidelines to aid WQIP Land Acquisition awardees with the development of documents necessary to receive approval for land purchases and/or conservation easements. These standards and guidelines will now be available through the toolkit webpage. DEC continues to develop additional guidelines and standards that will be added to this webpage once they are finalized.

Annual Water Withdrawal Reporting

The DEC Water Withdrawal Reporting Program is currently receiving water withdrawal reporting data for 2018. Reporting is required each year for non-agricultural facilities that have a withdrawal capacity of 100,000 gallons or more per day and agricultural facilities that use more than 100,000 gallons or more per day (30 day average). Agricultural facilities that use less than 100,000 gallons per day can register by using the annual water withdrawal reporting form (PDF, 1 MB). For additional information, contact Water Withdrawal Reporting staff at 518-402-8182 or AWQRSDEC@dec.ny.gov.

DEC and Peconic Land Trust Announce Preservation of Pine Barrens Land Critical to Protect Long Island's Sole Source Aquifer

DEC and the Peconic Land Trust have announced the preservation of a parcel in the Central Pine Barrens Core. The acquisition of this property will help protect Long Island's groundwater. The Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, parcel is the first in the state to be approved and purchased with funding from DEC's Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grants that specifically target the protection of source waters.