Politics & Government
Department of Enviromental Conservation to Manage Pesticides
A plan is currently being developed to help protect Long Island's estuaries and groundwater resources, officials say.
In an effort to strengthen the protection of the sole source aquifer that supplies Long Island's drinking water, and area lakes, ponds and bays, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the creation of a consortium of public and private stakeholders to develop a Long Island Pesticide Use Management Plan.
The plan, according to the department's Regional Director Peter A. Scully, is being prepared in response to the past discovery of more than 100 pesticides and pesticide breakdown products in Long Island's groundwater.
The overall goal of the plan, Scully said, is to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment by protecting Long Island's groundwater and surface water resources from pesticides contamination, while continuing to meet the needs of agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional pest management.
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"The importance of this effort is underscored by the broad representation of many diverse interests, all of whom agree that reducing the introduction of toxic materials into Long Island's environment is of paramount importance," said Mr. Scully. "Never before in history has such a capable and balanced group joined together to work cooperatively with the goals of strengthening the protection of our drinking water supply, and our surface waters."
The management plan's technical advisory committee consists of representatives from the agricultural community, government agencies, pesticide applicators, and the environmental community. It held its first meeting on Nov. 30.
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According to Scully, the plan, anticipated to be finalized in 2011, will shape the DEC's decision-making process and policy for pesticide-related threats to the quality of Long Island's sole source drinking water aquifer.
A key component of the plan, he said, involves examining what preventive measures and steps can be taken to minimize the potential for pesticides to impact groundwater resources. Potential measures could involve taking actions before pesticides are detected in groundwater or measures that can be taken after a pesticide is detected in groundwater resources.
