Officials hold final water management meeting, tour waterways to work on increasing water quality on LI

State and local officials held a public forum and toured a waterway Wednesday to work toward increasing water quality on Long Island. The third and final water management meeting was held Wednesday

News 12 Staff

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May 29, 2014, 1:56 AM

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Updated 3,754 days ago

State and local officials held a public forum and toured a waterway Wednesday to work toward increasing water quality on Long Island.

The third and final water management meeting was held Wednesday at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood.

The first part of the meeting was aimed at issues related to Suffolk's wastewater and septic systems. The second part focused on a public comment session.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens and other state and local officials also toured the suffering Forge River today. The river leads to the Great South Bay.

Officials say that the nitrogen levels in the water are sky-high, while oxygen levels are near zero.

Experts say the readings in the river are too low to support any marine life.

According to Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine, nitrogen comes from road runoff, fertilized lawns and a heavily populated community that has cesspools and no sewers.

More than $750 million of state and federal money is going toward bringing Long Island waterways back from the brink, protecting drinking water and protecting the shores from future storm damage.

Gov. Cuomo promises to announce what actions he and the federal government will take in June after receiving the DEC's final recommendations.