North Shore Communities Partner up With N. Hempstead to Clean Our Waterways

Twenty-one municipalities on the North Shore of Nassau County and the Town of North Hempstead have teamed up to reduce contaminated water and runoff into local bays and estuaries.

The Town of North Hempstead, the City of Glen Cove and the participating villages was awarded funding through the Water Quality Improvement Program grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“Stormwater runoff and septic systems are leading contributors to the pollution of our waterways and we must do our utmost to avoid nitrogen and other contaminants from reaching our surface water,” North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a press release. “This program is a win-win as it allows us to make progress on water quality, while partnering with our local villages in order to save taxpayer dollars.”

The grant allows these municipalities to more efficiently meet the standards of the State’s storm water program, which requires municipalities to manage their drainage systems and map them, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS.) Through GIS, maps would identify areas that may contribute to the impairment of Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor, and help local officials to track down potential sources of water pollution, such as failing septic systems.

"These maps will help us all properly plan, carry out and track our progress in improving our waterways," said Eric Swenson, Executive Director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee.

Municipalities participating in the project include Village of Baxter Estates, Village of East Hills, Village of Flower Hill, City of Glen Cove, Village Of Great Neck Estates, Village of Great Neck Plaza, Village of Great Neck, Village of Kensington, Village of Kings Point, Village of Lake Success, Village of Manorhaven, Village of Munsey Park, Village of Plandome Heights, Village of Plandome Manor, Village of Plandome, Village of Port Washington North, Village of Roslyn Estates, Village of Russell Gardens, Village of Saddle Rock, Village of Sea Cliff, Village of Thomaston.

All work is being done at no cost to each village. The only fee the villages are required to provide a matching contribution in the form of a small amount of staff time.

The Town of North Hempstead invited the Villages to participate in this grant in order to create a comprehensive map of all municipally-owned drainage infrastructure in the participating municipalities. This will allow environmental workers to track pollution as it crosses municipal boundaries, the Town says.

The intermuncipal agreements with the City of Glen Cove, the final municipality to join the project, were unanimously approved by the Town Board at its September 27 meeting.

“This program is not only cost saving, it is invaluable for helping identify potential sources of water pollution and aiding future planning and better protection of our important water resources,” Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender said.

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