Section 6 ESTUARY PROGRAMS
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SUFFOLK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN Estuary Programs Section 6 Section 6 ESTUARY PROGRAMS Section 6 Estuary Programs 6.1 Introduction An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water that connects to the open sea. It is a transition zone where saltwater from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers and land, an area called the watershed. The amount of fresh water flowing into the estuary varies from season to season and from year to year. This variation, together with the daily rise and fall of the tides and the consequent movement of saltwater up and down rivers, creeks, and in embayments creates a unique environment. Estuaries are among the most productive of the earth’s ecosystems. More than 80 percent of all fish and shellfish species use estuaries as a primary habitat or as a spawning and nursery ground. Estuaries also provide feeding, nesting, breeding and nursery areas for a wide variety of animals. Suffolk County borders three major estuarine systems: the Long Island Sound to its north, the South Shore Estuary to its south, and the Peconic Estuary to its east as shown on Figure 6-1. All three local estuary programs draw their programmatic boundaries, sometimes called study areas, differently. The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) uses the surface water divide, as defined by USGS Hydrologic Unit Code 02030201, which follows the Harbor Hill moraine through Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. The Peconic Estuary Program (PEP) boundary is based on the shallow groundwater contributing area determined by Suffolk County and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The South Shore Estuarine Reserve (SSER) boundary was most likely determined from a combination of watersheds within the Reserve, political boundaries and transportation routes. Each of these estuaries is unique in both physical characteristics and ecosystem composition as summarized by Table 6-1. Wastewater discharges to the estuaries may be found in Appendix I. Separately, stakeholders around each of these waterbodies recognized their significance and developed watershed-based management structures to help protect and restore them (Table 6-2). Both the Peconic Estuary and the Long Island Sound were nominated and subsequently designated estuaries of national significance by the US Congress, making them part of the USEPA’s National Estuary Program (NEP), under the authority of the Clean Water Act. The South Shore Estuary benefits from a similar stakeholder-driven watershed-based management partnership that is designated the South Shore Estuary Reserve by New York State executive law. March 2015 SUFFOLK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN| 6-1 Table 6-1 Physical Characteristics of Suffolk County’s Three Main Estuaries Mean Water Body Length Surface Area Volume Depth Peconic/Gardiners ~ 110,000 ~ 40 km >> 4.0 m ~ 1.2 billion m3 Bays acres Great South Bay ~ 40 km ~ 58,000 acres << 2.0 m ~ 0.27 billion m3 Long Island Sound ~ 845,000 ~ 177 km ~ 20 m ~ 68 billion m3 Estuary acres Table 6-2 Watershed-based Management Programs in Suffolk County Program Management Enabling Water Body CCMP Founded Chair Legislation Peconic §320 Estuary 1992 2001 US EPA Clean Water Program Act South Shore Article 46 Estuary 1993 2001 US EPA NYS Executive Reserve Law §320 Long Island 1991; 2014 NYS Dept. of 1985 Clean Water Sound Study (draft) State Act Each NEP and the SSER have a Management Conference (MC) made up of diverse stakeholders including citizens, local, state, and Federal agencies, as well as non-profit, academia, and private sector entities. Using a consensus- building approach and collaborative decision-making process, each MC works closely together to implement the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The MC ensures that the CCMP is uniquely tailored to the local environmental conditions, is based on local input, and supports local priorities. The benefits of this watershed-based management approach are numerous, and include the ability to generate public support and leverage skills and i funding for regional priorities. One study4F2F found the networks in NEP areas span more levels of government, integrate more experts into policy discussions, nurture stronger interpersonal ties between stakeholders, and March 2015 SUFFOLK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN| 6-2 Service Layer Credits: Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, i-cubed, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Commu Fishers SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK Island Asharoken Legend Eatons Plum Lloyd Harbor Rd Neck Island d Long Island Sound Study Boundary R in Rd r Ma e East iv Orient Lloyd R Marion w Harbor rro Na W d N E orth R e N S Peconic Estuary Groundwater Program Boundary c k Huntingtonh M R o Old r a e i d n Bay R Field S d Greenport t o Belle Front St Rd Centerport Terre ain Northport Smithtown South Shore Esturary Reserve Program Boundary ve M A Greenport Halesite d Poquott ew a R Fort Salonga Main St vi West ort long d F S a n Bay u Dering St Main P o Southold J o S A ef r Harbor Cold 25 t Huntington fPort N d ute er Sound Spring R Ro s F y Jeffersonon e Block Island d 25 N r ur R Beach te r Harbor ck M u o y o Nissequogue s i o D Setauket- ll t R oodb ld Stony L r d O Hallo n R a W ck Av n East Setauket e d Kings Park Brook R Mount Rout N Sound e 25A ShelterP East Port Jefferson o Shoreham Fe Greenlawn Head u B k rr E t Sinai w y M University e r a Island R ig i i y SHELTER n Station d d Northport St d d B of the 1 Miller Long Island Sound R g d r e 1 R e n a 2 o Heights R v Gardiners East g L M n e A Harbor Place re n Peconic c c a d i Huntington O C i t k a n N e r l Rocky o B n Shoreham x B ayv r M ie S o w a P a R L y d P Y Station n r i v ISLAND n F Ston ll ie k d y Brook Point SOUTHOLD e e e l w w e Shelter w Gardiners R l Bay i r ry C R M r Jeric e t y y W ho Tp Elwood n w Terryville a P d r ke u H n M M y N t a l Island o e a Island l R Wading R Jericho Tpke s ou i West C n R c te l o 25 l sc d e A Cutchogue d N e d Ave Mattituck L N Y River Soun Baiting Hollow n Hills a Commack p F C h r HUNTINGTON Jeric St. James e ho Tpke a a n s Hwy a n O t h e d l k R M N d W ns s ain Rd Je SMITHTOWN P ri o R d R b R c c a R South ho s Tp o o Riverhead Sound Ave ke Ne d o ss n m n r E n a N a Ma d orthville in a S a n Huntington t r W hisk e A A m o y o D B u t R v H i d ve k Village a v C A o P C h Smithtown e es e e e v e c y e i Re M r New o A a t r A d W o i North a of the a i n t n v c l i State Hwy 25 r v r e s n k t S e Suffolk P d RIVERHEAD a d Laurel Lake Centereach o s R t P Haven o R Branch r i R n W L d n e p u a L n t k y Grove t r g B O o h n u Selden l R a a n d M Middle Ridge w T e d P p o o Dix ht w Coram v r p it Nesconset n m A u Island e a S R e d s F Hills H e D d Sw r r d a Jamesport r NASSAU a n R d Pon y C d w R Rd R H d Aquebogue d e lv Robins ac Rd d r c W Calverton E B oy o a t y N b l Hauppauge a ve Ba r p R S E Melville d d iv rd A nic a e i er ba co Island r L Gordon R n R ub Pe H i a d in H k COUNTY S t g F e Lake t a e d l s e R t i D Heightsl M o g t R i v n n r r S M i Ronkonkoma 2 e E r a z r y p t r Sag Harbor e d 1 p l H B M D r e h 1 t i r S u R t Brookhaven a n n N e i h a h ug Noyack g Springs e l t W n l Northwest c T w P Farmingville o R y u o National S r B s d o ll R R d a ny Harbor H a o u ran R d Riverside n y G d a h East h Laboratory k w d s R n s H Wheatley Heights Central Islandia F d uk a o lan d O onta d R n R ld M o J e l s Farmingdale Deer Great Peconic k i d r r y e s c C Islip a K w B v R y r o k H A Park d d e R ill N c V i e k M S d e r r e k St R n Montauk B lin a BROOKHAVEN a onk te Ronkonkoma c o C r g R t P a Bay a n W d n S Wyandanch r Brentwood s M E a Wainscott H o e e M t d b d m ai Northampton e a EAST a l y e n d R r Hw North or S R r bo c uk ia t e d r c O nta D R l T o l H I 495 ed ck M pke A ld M w Cr a o R O Holtsville R n Bay Shore y i e oy H East n L v e il g C d w e k N l e e To r T l g B d R h tt u Amagansett Napeague a a Baywood Flanders e R o Hampton F d u r r c u Manorville r a w l Medford d d c S k S Rd t R - d o e S HAMPTONs t e D H y ol n ve k w H v i a N North d R i H ry S e m l k er Hwy t A l uk R a r u b ta p North d Water R ta n on BABYLON North M Mon a M Yaphank e to r n u d C e ISLIP g n h s a v a R n r B g i a Sea o e a Mill Babylon A e e e u d y M l ontauk t c v s H d w e i y p Holbrook a P Rd e W 1 i O o l 0 R R o S 9 Bohemia W d s s Bay I N k d North t Ln North West Islip n S n Bridgehampton East o e o Shore b t Great e o n P S a Babylon State Hwy 27 S p c Amityville North tate Hwy 27 Terrace North Patchogue East Tuckaho eR f Hampton S d n o i River e d Hampton Bays a v d Rd y West R 1 Islip Quogue Lindenhurst k E a C A astport a 3 M SOUTHAMPTONP n N n h East a North e 2 a w d h o k Islip u r p ty R H e d We r n c y Brightwaters L c Mastic n Cou d o c a a f Ya e Hwy a h q 3 Sagaponack s w Sunri Patchogue e Bellport 9 Author: 2/20/201511:46:38 Saved: AM Date msel gmtProgram\Estuary.mxd o M d O n ain k S u O L Hamptonu Shinnecock Hills A r l St H l e e g o l o w t o d e B p l East Westhampton e h w g d a Center C M a o t tc R o i u n Patchogue s Bays n g Lindenhursto a a u o a e t d Blue P Moriches n d t Moriches t R Hill p S Moriches r e St m S y West Sayville A a A d A East Oakdale Rd v H v v Point v A e d e n e Babylon M Brookhaven Shirley R n o Bay ry n L n nt nt Shinneock auk Islip ou y L M Hw ld C L k e y Shore O c k r West Reservation e c ri e Southampton c N k N R y d Sayville Remsenburg- t Amityville Bayport e s s Quiogue l ir Mastic Speonk a F Copiague ow Ln H Bellport Beach Q Mead Great u t o e S River Westhampton Quogueg u Beach Rd Dunes Rd Beachn L Poospatuck p u Reservation s ne Rd s Du e West Hampton J ESTUARY MANAGEMENT Great South Dunes ATLANTIC OCEAN Gilgo Oak Beach- Captree Bay Miles PROGRAM BOUNDARIES R Ocean ober Revised: February 20, 2015 - CD-15-26 t Moses State Pkwy Source: Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning, Division of Planning & Environment; NYS Office of Information Technology Services.