Connecticut River Conservancy’s River Restoration Network partners at Save the Sound have released the 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card based on Unified Water Study data, and we are happy to share an increase from a B to an A-.
The Long Island Sound Report Card tracks and publicizes the ecological health of Long Island Sound, which is where the Connecticut River watershed drains into the Atlantic Ocean along with hundreds of other local watersheds. Their biennial report assembles water monitoring data and, using an assessment methodology designed for the Report Card, grades water quality in five open water regions of Long Island Sound and 57 bay segments along its margins. They provide the results to elected officials, environmental agencies, and the general public as part of ongoing work to catalyze improvements in ecosystem health and promote restoration projects and infrastructure investments. All grades in the 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card result from monitoring data collected during the 2023 monitoring season.
The full report is available here, and you can learn more about the Unified Water Study in CRC’s recent video below.
The Connecticut River watershed’s grade increase from a B in 2023 to an A- in 2024 (based on the prior year’s data collection) means that we are making progress when it comes to water quality improvements in our embayment in the Connecticut River, and also overall in the Long Island Sound, which is cause for celebration.
Some of the contributing factors to this improvement could be dam removal projects that help improve dissolved oxygen and sediment transport, the annual watershed-wide river cleanup efforts with the Source to Sea Cleanup, ongoing work in water quality monitoring, improvements to wastewater treatment plants, and advocacy/policy to support clean water and healthy habitats.
While we are happy to see these improvements, some challenges continue to persist. Nitrogen is a leading pollutant in the Long Island Sound, and it comes from our rivers like the Connecticut River. Nitrogen flows into the river from wastewater treatment plants, fertilizer usage, and stormwater runoff. When excess nitrogen gets into the Long Island Sound it can have disastrous effects, causing algal blooms and creating dead zones where fish cannot get enough oxygen. This is something we will continue to monitor, and can benefit from individual actions such as these:
Reduce water usage
Reduce fertilizer use
Plant riparian buffers with native plants
Build rain gardens
Reduce your carbon footprint
Vote for leaders who support environmental policies
Reduce waste consumption and use eco-friendly materials
In addition to Save the Sound and River Restoration Network, CRC is grateful for our partnership with the Connecticut River Museum in the essential boating needs to gather this data on a regular basis.
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