Long Island, New York 2018 Water-Quality Report Hempstead Harbor (Full Report, Including Appendices) Revised September 2020. prepared by September 2020 revision includes removal of replicate samples from calculations and encompasses pages 18-33 and appendix pages A-13 to A-14 and A-23 to A-25. Cover photos, left to right: Horseshoe Crabs - John Waldman Gull with Sea Star - Michelle Lapinel McAllister Clearnose Skate - Paul Boehm (large background photo) View of Hempstead Harbor Looking North - Carol DiPaolo Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor Table of Contents PAGE Acknowledgments ............................................................................... iv Introduction ............................................................................................ v Initiation of Monitoring Program ...................................................................................... v Program Expansion .......................................................................................................... vi Municipal Watershed-Based Management ..................................................................... vii CSHH and HHPC Profiles and Activities ...................................................................... viii CSHH ....................................................................................................................................... viii HHPC ......................................................................................................................................... xi 1 Harbor Overview .......................................................................... 1 2 Methods......................................................................................... 3 2.1 Quality Assurance Project Plan ............................................................................. 4 2.2 Core Program ........................................................................................................ 4 2.2.1 Station Locations .......................................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Station Expansion ....................................................................................................... 10 2.2.3 Frequency of Testing and Testing Parameters ....................................................... 11 2.3 Unified Water Study .............................................................................................15 2.3.1 UWS Station Locations .............................................................................................. 15 2.3.2 UWS Testing Parameters ........................................................................................... 17 3 Monitoring Results ...................................................................... 18 3.1 Dissolved Oxygen.................................................................................................18 3.2 Temperature ........................................................................................................ 24 3.3 Salinity ................................................................................................................. 28 3.4 pH ........................................................................................................................ 30 3.5 Turbidity/Water Clarity ...................................................................................... 32 3.5.1 Secchi-Disk Measurements........................................................................................ 32 3.5.2 Turbidity-Meter Measurements ................................................................................ 32 3.6 Chlorophyll .......................................................................................................... 33 3.7 Nitrogen .............................................................................................................. 34 3.7.1 The Nitrogen Cycle .................................................................................................... 34 3.7.2 Nitrogen Monitoring by CSHH................................................................................ 35 3.8 Bacteria ................................................................................................................ 37 3.8.1 Beach-Closure Standards ........................................................................................... 38 3.8.2 Beach Monitoring for Bacteria Levels ..................................................................... 39 3.8.3 Monitoring CSHH Stations for Bacterial Levels ................................................... 40 3.8.4 Comparing Bacteria Data .......................................................................................... 42 3.8.5 Shellfish Pathogen TMDLs ....................................................................................... 44 3.8.6 Monitoring Shellfish Growing Area......................................................................... 45 2018 Water-Monitoring Report i Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor Table of Contents PAGE 3.8.7 Certified Shellfish Beds in Outer Harbor................................................................ 46 3.8.8 Bacteria Source Tracking ........................................................................................... 47 3.9 Precipitation ......................................................................................................... 48 4 Observations .............................................................................. 50 4.1 ‘Saladbacks’−A Local Phenomenon ............................................................ 50 4.2 Fish-Survey Reports ............................................................................................. 52 4.2.1 Entrainment and Impingement Monitoring Report and Impact of Power Plant Substation Removal ................................................................................................................... 52 4.2.2 A Study of the Striped Bass in the Marine District of New York State ............. 53 4.3 Field Observations and Recreational-Fishing Reports ....................................... 55 4.4 Crustaceans .......................................................................................................... 70 4.5 Jellies .................................................................................................................... 72 4.6 Shellfish ................................................................................................................ 73 4.6.1 Shellfish Landings ....................................................................................................... 75 4.6.2 Monitoring and Enforcement for Hempstead Harbor Recertified Shellfish Beds 75 4.6.3 Shellfish-Seeding Projects .......................................................................................... 76 4.6.4 Surveys to Assess Survival of Seed Clams and Oysters ........................................ 77 4.6.5 Mussel-Watch Project ................................................................................................ 78 4.7 Birds ..................................................................................................................... 79 4.8 Diamondback Terrapins ...................................................................................... 83 4.9 Algal Blooms ........................................................................................................ 84 Figures 1 Core-Program Station Locations 7 2 Station Locations for Harbor Sections and Glen Cove Creek 8 3 Location of the Hempstead Harbor UWS Stations Sampled in 2018 16 4 DO Standards and Effects of Depleted DO on Marine Life 19 5 2018 Average Bottom Dissolved Oxygen for Stations in Hempstead Harbor 21 6 Percent of Observations with Hypoxic Conditions over Time 22 7 Average Monitoring–Season DO Levels in Hempstead Harbor 23 8 Average Water Temperature Recorded During Seasonal Monitoring Events 26 9 Average Air Temperature Recorded During Seasonal Monitoring Events 27 10 Measured Average Salinity in Hempstead Harbor 29 11 Measured Average pH in Hempstead Harbor during Seasonal Monitoring Events 31 12 Nitrogen in Marine Environments 36 13 NYS DEC's Maps of Hempstead Harbor Showing Recertified and Uncertified Shellfishing Areas in 2011 and 2018 and Aerial View of the Crescent Beach Closure 47 ii Hempstead Harbor Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor Table of Contents PAGE Tables 1 Latitude/Longitude Points for Monitoring Stations 9 2 CSHH Monitoring–Program Parameters 14 3 Monthly Average for Beach Enterococci Data for 2018 43 4 Stations Exceeding Bacteria Standards–Summer and Winter Monitoring 44 5 Monthly Rainfall Totals for the 1997-2018 Monitoring Seasons, in mm 49 6 NYSDEC Western Long Island Beach-Seine Survey–Hempstead Harbor 2018 54 Blank Data-Reporting Sheets End of Text Appendices End of Report A 2018 CSHH Field-Monitoring Data A-1 2018 Weekly Graphs for Water-Quality Parameters A-13 2018 Turbidity and Secchi-Disk Transparency Graphs A-18 1996-2018 Dissolved Oxygen Graphs A-23 B 2018 In-Harbor Bacteria Data B-1 2018 In-Harbor Bacteria Graphs B-14 2018 Scudder’s Pond and Powerhouse Drain Outfalls Regular Season Monitoring Bacteria Data B-24 2018 Scudder’s Pond and Powerhouse Drain Outfalls Regular Season Monitoring Bacteria Graphs B-31 2018-2019 Scudder’s Pond and Powerhouse Drain Outfalls Winter- Monitoring Bacteria Data B-35 2018 Beach-Monitoring Bacteria Data B-38 2018 Sea Cliff Precipitation Data B-44 2019 Sea Cliff Precipitation