Is the Long Island Sound water safe?

Find out how your Long Island Sound beaches fared. The report offered good news for swimmers, noting that 79\% of the more than 200 Long Island Sound beaches highlighted earned “A” or “B” grades for water quality in the 2020 swimming season.

Is the Long Island Sound polluted?

Long Island Sound Watershed, New York (May 26, 2021) – As summer approaches, EPA officials are highlighting water quality improvements in Long Island Sound resulting from almost 50 million pounds of nitrogen pollution kept out of the Sound each year.

Why is Long Island Sound so dirty?

The Long Island Sound estuary annually suffers from low dissolved oxygen conditions because of nutrient pollution – from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, atmospheric deposition, fertilizer and animal waste – from New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.

Why is the Long Island Sound important?

Long Island Sound is Connecticut’s largest and most important natural resource. More than 8 million people live in the Long Island Sound watershed and the activities that take place on and along the Sound – boating, fishing, tourism, and swimming – contribute an estimated $5.5 billion per year to the regional economy.

Are there great white sharks in Long Island Sound?

Three great white sharks are lurking in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island Sound and New Jersey before they migrate north toward Cape Cod, according to Ocearch, a Utah-based nonprofit that tracks the location of sharks.

Is the Long Island Sound healthy?

The biggest overall problem impacting the health of Long Island Sound is high levels of nitrogen and other nutrients, which contribute to dead zones, algae blooms, and marsh damage. Progress has been made in reducing nitrogen, especially from wastewater treatment plants—but further reductions are needed!

How clean is the water in Long Island Sound?

Save the Sound’s LIS Beach Report offered good news for swimmers and beachgoers, highlighting dozens of beaches on both sides of the Sound that consistently earn top grades for water quality. On average, Long Island Sound beaches met safe-swimming criteria 93.3\% of the time in 2016-2018.

Is Long Island Sound salt water?

The Long Island Sound is an estuary, a semi-enclosed coastal body where fresh and salt water mix.

Are there sharks in Long Island Sound?

Fowler says Long Island Sound has one of the largest populations of sand tiger sharks in the world.