Long Island Sound earns high marks for water quality, but some bays and harbors see declines
Save the Sound's latest report card shows strong water quality in the open waters of Long Island Sound, while several Long Island bays and harbors received lower scores than they did two years ago.
New data from Save the Sound shows water quality in the open waters of the Long Island Sound are improving.
"For the second straight report card, 98% of the open waters of Long Island Sound score A, B or better. That's outstanding news," says Peter Linderoth, of Save the Sound.
The picture is less positive for local bays and harbors.
According to Save the Sound's new report card, many bays and harbors earned top marks but there's still more work to be done.
"Even though 56% of the bays and harbors have received an A or B, that means 44% are receiving a C, D, or F," says Linderoth.
Oyster Bay received an A-minus in the group's water quality study two years ago. In the latest report card, it earned a B-plus.
Inner Manhasset Bay remained unchanged with a failing grade, while Middle Hempstead Harbor dropped from a D to an F.
In Suffolk County, Inner Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington Harbor and Northport Harbor all saw their scores decline over the last two years.
Huntington Harbor went from a B in 2024 to a B-minus this year. Inner Cold Spring Harbor scored a D-plus in 2024 and a D this year and Northport Harbor went from a C two years ago, to a D this year.
Officials say a variety of factors contribute to poorer grades, including harmful algae blooms and human impacts.
"Fertilizer usage, stormwater runoff, a big vector of pollution to our bays and harbors, also wastewater treatment plant infrastructure," says Linderoth.
"Going down a point or half a point isn't necessarily a bad thing," says Christine Suter, executive director of Friends of the Bay. "It's just good to know that we're still relatively the same."
Friends of the Bay regularly conducts beach cleanups and just last week, released 20,000 clams into the water to help repopulate Oyster Bay and improve water quality.
"It's not going to be immediate, but all of those pieces of the puzzle put together have a tremendous impact on water quality over time," says Suter.
