$90K Grant To Benefit Hempstead Harbor, Glen Cove Creek

A total of $2.04 million in grants allocated to local government and community groups will be used to improve the health and ecosystem of the Long Island Sound, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday.

Of those funds granted, $1.05 million will directly benefit New York State through 15 projects, which are funded through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF). These relatively small projects, the EPA says, will show how local communities and groups can make a big difference in improving the Long Island Sound’s water quality and restoring habitat throughout the watershed.

One project will benefit the outer and inner Hempstead Harbor and Glen Cove Creek area of the Long Island Sound.

• The Incorporated Village of Sea Cliff received $89,900 in LISFF funds and $67,592 in matching funds to monitor water quality— including physical, chemical and biological indicators of pollution— in the outer and inner Hempstead Harbor and Glen Cove Creek. The data will better help those who work within Hempstead Harbor, an embayment of the Long Island Sound.

“The Long Island Sound is a precious feature of our life, culture, and economy, one that affects the livelihoods of thousands of Long Islanders, as well as our local recreation and tourism industries,” Rep. Lee Zeldin said in a press release. “Protecting and restoring this critical waterway, which has suffered from pollution and overdevelopment over so many years, is so important to improving our area’s water quality, restoring our area’s natural habitats, and improving Long Islanders’ quality of life.”

There are nine million people who live, work and play along the estuary while more than 1,200 invertebrates, 170 species of fish and dozens of species of migratory bird live within the habitat.

These LISFF grants will reach more than 870,000 residents through environmental and conservation education programs, the EPA says.

The water quality improvement project is expected to:

• Treat 439,000 gallons of water runoff
• Reduce more than 15,600 pounds of nitrogen
• Collect 2,800 pounds of floating trash

The $1.05 million in grant funds to New York will be matched with $2.58 million from the grantees, resulting in $3.63 million in community conservation, the EPA says.

Patch photo