Awareness Group Created to Help Keep Water Clean

With mounting evidence that excessive nitrogen has lead to a steady water decline in our local ground and surface water systems, members of , N, , the Peconic Baykeeper, and Peconic Green Growth, Inc. have gotten together to form North Fork Clean Water Action, a new group meant to raise awareness that things need to change to help keep our water clean.

The group will cite research conducted by both the Suffolk County Department of Health and Stony Brook University which shows that nitrogen overloading, caused by outdated cesspools and other practices, is a major factor in the decline in water quality.

And although there are other contributing sources, this research has proven that the main culprit to excessive nitrogen in our ground and surface waters (creeks and estuaries) is human waste, according to the group.

"Management of our sewage waste is a huge ecological, human health and financial issue, one that planners, politicians, engineers and environmentalists on Long Island have grappled with - awkwardly and unsuccessfully for five decades,” said Kevin McAllister, head of environmental activist group the Peconic Baykeeper. “Raw sewage from the thousands of residential cesspools is directly responsible for the vast number of polluted water bodies. "We must act decisively and without further delay to overhaul outdated sewage regulations to ensure that our local bays remain the healthy centerpiece of life on the East End.”

North Fork Clean Water Act will sponsor panel discussions throughout the North Fork with leading environmental experts and advocates. The community forums will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 15 at the , Aug. 22 at the in Greenport and on Aug. 29 at the

According to Bob DeLuca, President of Group for the East End, "with more than 15 years of research now before us, it's clear that our precious water resources are increasingly polluted, and that the long term costs and consequences of this pollution will have an impact on us all. We are pleased to be part of this regional effort to raise water awareness and foster an informed discussion about the short and long-term solutions we will need to protect and restore our waters for the future. Every significant cultural change starts with education, and that is focus of these important community discussions."  

Call Bob DeLuca at 631-765-6450 or Kevin McAllister at 631-653-4804 for more information.