Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP)- Newsletter

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Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP)- Newsletter
Long Island Regional Planning Council Update

The Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) is leading several nitrogen reduction initiatives, which are highlighted in this edition of the LINAP newsletter.

  • Nitrogen Smart Communities
  • Town of Hempstead Aquaculture Feasibility Study
  • Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness Program
  • Grant Opportunities & Insights

Nitrogen Smart Communities

Nitrogen Smart Communities (NSC) is a program created by the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) encouraging municipalities on Long Island to take meaningful and effective actions to reduce, prevent, or eliminate nitrogen in Long Island’s waters through community-specific plans of action. Participating municipalities earn tiered levels of certification by following a series of steps to identify and reduce pollution in degraded waterbodies and protect areas specific to their community before impairment occurs.   

The goals of the program are:

  • Inform, educate, and encourage community knowledge, engagement, and responsibility related to nitrogen pollution. 
  • Create an inventory of unique sources of nitrogen pollution within each municipality and the impacted waterbodies. 
  • Develop community-specific action plans and schedule activities to reduce nitrogen and protect Long Island’s water. 
  • Engage in an evolving and ongoing process of nitrogen reduction actions. 
  • Participate in protecting the water quality of Long Island for generations to come.  

The program will be piloted with two municipalities including one in Nassau County and one in Suffolk County. After the pilot, an island-wide roll out is anticipated. By becoming a Nitrogen Smart Community, municipalities will be investing in water quality protection and economic growth which benefits tourism, fishing, boating, and property values while also improving the community’s public health and safety.  

The program is in its final stages of development. LIRPC is in the process of contracting with a consultant to assist the municipalities in navigating through the pilot program in preparation for a full-scale launch.

 

Nitrogen Smart Communities Logo

Town of Hempstead Aquaculture Feasibility Study

The LIRPC has partnered with the Town of Hempstead for the preparation of an aquaculture license/lease feasibility study for Hempstead Bay. The study will evaluate a range of issues including environmental, economic, regulatory and social/historical considerations, providing essential information for the Town to consider before adopting a lease/license program. 

The study involves various primary tasks including:

  • Delineation of a Shellfish Lease Cultivation Zone
  • Shellfish Inventory
  • Seagrass Inventory
  • Sediment Analyses and Mapping
  • Recreational/Commercial Shellfishing Field Survey
  • Seaweed Aquaculture Assessment
  • Determination of Regulatory Requirements
  • Analysis of a Lease Program Structure
  • Public and Stakeholder Outreach
  • Lease Program Administration Procedures
  • Cost/Benefit Analysis
  • Recommendations for Town Code Revisions

Establishment of a properly planned and implemented aquaculture program will enable the Town to improve water quality, reduce nitrogen levels, and generate economic activity in marine related businesses. The program would be comparable to programs already established in other Long Island townships.

The study is expected to be complete by the end of 2023.  

Town of Hempstead Conservation and Waterways

Photo Credit: Town of Hempstead Conservation and Waterways 

Nassau County Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness Program

The Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness (S.E.P.T.I.C.) provides grants of up to $20,000 to eligible residents, small businesses and not-for-profits to replace a cesspool or inadequate septic system with nitrogen reducing Innovative and Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (I/A OWTS). The program is made possible through $4 million dollars in grants from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with Nassau County matching an additional $4 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The program is administered by the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District with continued program funding provided by the Long Island Regional Planning Council. To date, over 225 residents have applied to the program!

Grant Opportunities and Insights

Are you looking to bring some new life to your community’s waterfront?

If so... competitive matching grants supported by New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund are available to municipalities to develop and implement Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs (LWRP) and Watershed Management Plans to revitalize communities and waterfronts.

The LWRP supports community planning efforts to evaluate local resources, develop goals and strategies, and identify ways in which the community can reduce risk to community assets to ensure successful and sustainable revitalization. Eligible applicants are villages, towns, cities, and counties (on behalf of eligible municipalities) located along New York’s coasts or inland waterways designated pursuant to Executive Law, Article 42.

The 2022 LWRP Request for Applications (RFA) can be referenced here on the Department of State (DOS) website. DOS can provide technical assistance to communities before the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) opens for 2023, contact irene.holak@dos.ny.gov or fred.landa@dos.ny.gov.

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