DEC Contact: Jeff Wernick (518) 402-8000 February 18, 2021
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DEC, PECONIC LAND TRUST, AND TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN ANNOUNCE PRESERVATION OF LAND CRITICAL TO PROTECT LONG ISLAND’S SOLE SOURCE AQUIFERBrookhaven Property Acquisition is the Latest to Use DEC Source Water Protection Grants on Long Island |
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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Peconic Land Trust (PLT), and town of Brookhaven today announced the preservation of a parcel in the hamlet of Moriches. The acquisition of this property will help protect Long Island’s groundwater, the sole drinking water source for millions of residents. PLT paid $660,000 for the 13.2-acre parcel at 285 Montauk Highway in Moriches, near the headwaters of the Forge River. DEC grant funding will cover approximately three-quarters of the acquisition costs, and PLT partnered with the town of Brookhaven to cover the 25 percent local match for this parcel.
“New York State’s sustained investments to support clean water infrastructure, including an additional $500 million in Governor Cuomo’s 2021-22 Executive Budget, are helping to transform acquisitions like this into long-term protections for drinking water in communities across the state,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “The acquisition announced today in partnership with Peconic Land Trust will help to improve water quality while also bolstering recreational opportunities in the Forge River watershed."
In addition to protecting Long Island’s drinking water source, the newly protected land will be used for passive recreation, for example hiking and birdwatching, with potential improvements limited to a foot trail, placement of trail markers, and a trailhead kiosk.
Funding for the acquisition comes from a $2.3 million DEC grant awarded in December 2017 to the Peconic Land Trust for implementation of a Regional Aquifer Protection Land Acquisition Program. The property was identified by the town of Brookhaven as a priority for conservation because of its location adjacent to other protected Suffolk County land and town conservation easement land, and its proximity to land owned by the Suffolk County Water Authority.
“The preservation of property today will pay dividends in the future, for our environment and for the community," Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico said. "We are grateful to our partners who made this acquisition possible and will continue our efforts into the future. This latest acquisition adds to the extensive acreage we have already preserved and is ecologically sensitive.”
New York’s Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP)
WQIP is supported by the landmark $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA) and the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). It is a competitive reimbursement grant program to fund projects that improve water quality, reduce the potential for harmful algal blooms, and protect drinking water across the state. Grants are awarded for municipal wastewater treatment, nonagricultural nonpoint source abatement and control, salt storage, aquatic habitat restoration, municipal separate storm sewer systems, and land acquisition projects for source water protection.
Peconic Land Trust’s RAPLAP is a multi-year program using WQIP funding to acquire land or development rights for surface water quality, groundwater recharge areas, and drinking water protection.
In Brookhaven, funding for this program allows properties to be protected in and near the Special Groundwater Protection Areas within the Peconic Estuary and Forge River watersheds and the South Shore Estuary Reserve.
For more information, visit the Trust’s website.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo continues to increase investments for clean water infrastructure projects, including the State's unprecedented $3.5 billion commitment - recently bolstered by an additional $500 million proposed in the 2021-22 Executive Budget - to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to clean water. As part of the state's Environmental Protection Fund, which the Governor's Executive Budget renews at a record $300 million, WQIP supports projects to improve water quality, reduce the potential for harmful algal blooms (HABs), and protect drinking water across the state. DEC has announced more than $37 million in grants that are helping partners support 37 WQIP land acquisition projects to-date. In addition to land acquisition projects for source water protection, WQIP grants are awarded for municipal wastewater treatment, nonagricultural nonpoint source abatement and control, salt storage, and aquatic habitat restoration.
Note: Photo attached, courtesy of Peconic Land Trust |
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