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COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION and MANAGEMENT PLAN March 1994

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COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION and MANAGEMENT PLAN March 1994 LONG ISLAND SOUND STUDY A Partnership to Restore and Protect the Sound THE COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN March 1994 Long Island Sound Study Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan March 1994 ERRATA Page 130, The last two sentences under the first objective listed on that page were edited imprecisely and should be replaced by the following: "Environmentally-sensitive land use regulations and careful site planning and design can effectively mitigate potential adverse impacts of new land uses to Long Island Sound. Accordingly, clustered development should be encouraged within the context of stringent state and municipal standards and regulations that ensure the protection of natural resources, proper siting of community septic systems in unsewered areas, and appropriate intensity of land use." CTDEP also suggests that interested parties refer to: Yaro, R.D., R.G. Arendt, H.L. Dodson, and E.A. Brabec. 1988. Dealing with change in the Connecticut River Valley: A design manual for conservation and development. 2nd printing. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Environmental Law Foundation, Cambridge, MA. 181 p. The publication is available from CTDEP, Map and Publication Sales, 79 Elm St., Store Level, Hartford, CT 06106-5127. r------=:-:==----------------! . The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound characteriz- i es the priority problems affecting the Sound and identifies specific commitments and i recommendations developed by the Long Island Sound Study (LlSS) Management ! Conference. The introductory chapters briefly describe Long Island Sound and its i watershed and the purpose and organization of the Long Island Sound Study. The following I chapters detail the cause and impact of the Sound's priority problems and identify specific . commitments and recommendations to restore and protect the Sound. The commitments i are actions for which enhanced program resources have already been made available or for ! which there are firm obligations. The recommendations are actions that require additional i funding that is not currently available. An overview of the actions is presented in tables at ! the end of the chapter text. The final chapters describe the areas that are critical to ! supporting implementation, including continued coordination by the Long Island Sound I Study Management Conference, public involvement and education, and funding. I" : :~=:;,:~,"o. """::;:~: '::::~:::.:::" .".,"'" .- ~O~ '_0, For those seeking detailed information on various aspects of the program, the Management , Conference has produced support documents. The support documents contain a more I detailed characterization of the priority water quality problems facing Long Island Sound, , a discussion of the eXisting statutory and regulatory programs available to manage these i problems, and numerous options for improving management, including enhancements to i existing programs, and recommendations for new initiatives. The Management Conference i integrated the information contained within the technical support documents to develop the :,i plan. The following is a list of the technical support documents: , • Hypoxia and Nutrient Enrichment: Assessment of Conditions and Management i • ~~~~cm~~~~::~oc:s Contamination: Assessment of Conditions and Management I • ~:~~:;:~~~~~:nation: Assessment of Conditions and Management Recommenda- ,1 tions i • Floatable Debris: Assessment of Conditions and Management Recommendations 1 • Assessment of Living Marine Resources , • Public Involvement and Education , • Environmental Monitoring of Long Island Sound: Program Inventory ! • Discussion of Existing Management Programs for Long Island Sound and its Resources i • Federal Consistency Review i The support documents were based largely on the numerous technical studies that were !.1 conducted and reports that were written over the course of the LlSS. These studies and reports have been completed, submitted to peer review, and are available at the EPA Long I ""0' ''"0' - •. l_______________________________________________________ , Page i Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................... ES-l I. Long Island Sound in Perspective . .... A. Geography. .. 1 B. Ecological Importance . .. 2 C. Economic Importance ...................................... 2 D. Population and Land Use .................. .. 2 E. Water Quality ........................................... 3 II. The Long Island Sound Study. .. 5 A. Background. .. 5 B. Goals for Long Island Sound . .. 6 C. Priority Areas of Concern. .. 6 D. Commitment to Act ....................................... 7 PRIORITY PROBLEMS .............................................. 9 III. Hypoxia . .. 11 A. What is Hypoxia? . .. 11 B. Why is Hypoxia a Problem? ................................. 12 C. How Does Hypoxia Occur? . .. 16 D. What Are The Nitrogen Sources to the Sound? ..................... 18 1. Natural Sources .. .. 18 2. Human Sources .............................. .. 20 E. Can Hypoxia Be Managed? ................................. 21 1. Understanding the Problem . .. 21 2. The Need to Manage Nitrogen . .. 22 3. The Effect of Reducing Nitrogen Loads .. .. 23 F. How will Hypoxia be Managed? . .. 24 1. Dealing with Uncertainty - The Phased Approach to Implementation ... 24 2. Setting a Goal for Hypoxia Management ............... ,.... 25 3. A Long-Term Strategy to Achieve that Goal .................. 25 4. Making Reevaluation a Part of the Plan ............... .. 26 G. Overview of Hypoxia Management Actions. .. 27 1. Phase I ......................................... 27 2. Phase II . .. 29 3. Phase III· . .. 36 4. Funding . .. 40 5. Monitoring and Assessment . .. 41 IV. Toxic Substances ............. .. 47 A. What are Toxic Substances? ................................. 47 B. What Problems Do Toxic Substances Cause In Long Island Sound? . .. 47 1. Water Column . .. 48 2. Sediments . .. 50 3. Tissues. .. 55 Page iii VIII. Land Use and Development ....................................... 125 A. Why is Land Use and Development a Concern? .................... 125 B. How are Land Use and Development Managed? . .. 125 C. What Needs to be Done? ................................... 126 1. Reduce Impacts of Existing Development . .. 126 2. Minimize Impacts of New Development . .. 128 3. Improve Information Management, Training, and Education ........ 131 4. Conserve and Enhance Natural Resources and Open Spaces ........ 132 5. Increase Public Access . .. 133 D. What Are the Next Steps? . .. 133 SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION ..................................... "135 IX. Continuing the Management Conference ................................. 137 A. Who will Implement the Plan? . .. 137 B. What is the New Role of the Management Conference? ................ 137 C. What are the Core Needs to Coordinate Implementation and Report on Progress? ..... .. 138 D. How Will Information from Existing and Future Monitoring Activity be Managed? ........................... " . .. 139 E. How Will the Management Conference be Funded Now That the Plan is Done? .,............................ ................ 140 F. How Will the Management Conference Ensure That Other Federal Programs are Consistent With the Management Plan? ....................... , 140 1. Federal Consistency Review Requirements ................... 140 2. The LISS Federal Consistency Process. .. 141 G. Overview of Specific Management Actions . .. 141 X. Public Involvement and Education . .. 143 A. Why Are Public Involvement and Education Important? . .. 143 B. What Has Been Done To Involve and Educate the Public? .............. 143 C. What Kind of Public Involvement and Education Program Do We Need for Today? .............................................. 144 D. Overview of Specific Management Actions . .. 145 1. Build Community Awareness and Appreciation ................ 145 2. Promote Understanding ............................... 146 3. Facilitate Public Policy and Hands-on Activities . .. 148 4. Increase Communication and Cooperation. .. 149 5. Develop Educational Opportunities . .. 150 6. Secure Funding .................................... 151 E. How Can Individuals Help? ................................. 152 XI. Costs and Funding .............................................. 155 A. Introduction. .. 155 B. Existing Program Funding .................................. 155 C. Enhanced Program Funding ................................. 156 D. Project Implementation Funding. .. 158 1. Long Island Sound Needs . .. 158 2. State Water Quality Needs ............................. 159 E. Current Financing Mechanism - State Revolving Fund . .. 160 F. Alternative Revenue Sources . .. 162 Page v Table 25 Research to investigate toxic contamination in Long Island Sound . .. 73 Table 26 Long Island Sound drainage area designations ...................... 76 Table 27 Chronically closed beaches in Long Island Sound (1986 to 1990) .......... 77 Table 28 Shellfish growing waters classification definitions . .. 78 Table 29 Connecticut shellfish harvests (1972 to 1990) . .. 79 Table 30 New York hard clam harvests for Long Island Sound (1972 to 1991) . .. 80 Table 31 Controlling pathogen contamination from combined sewer overflows ....... : 83 Table 32 Controlling pathogen contamination from nonpoint sources . .. 84 Table 33 Controlling pathogen contamination from sewage treatment plants ......... 85 Table 34 Controlling pathogen contamination from vessel discharges . .. 86 Table 35 Controlling pathogen contamination from individual
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