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Thiele, LaValle announce funding nitrogen mitigation study

REPORTER FILE PHOTO Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr.
REPORTER FILE PHOTO
Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr.

Calling it “a regional environmental crisis,” Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor) announced that he and Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-C, Port Washington) have secured $5 million in state funds for a nitrogen management and mitigation plan for Long Island Waters.The initiative has been promoted by the Long Island Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Long Island Builders Institute and The Group for the East End. All have argued that its vital to identify causes and recommend courses of action to reduce the amount of nitrogen appearing in the water.

Shelter Island Town Engineer John Cronin, among others, has focused on the need to upgrade aged septic systems that he believes are allowing nitrogen increases in surrounding waters.

“With the quality of Long Island’s ground and surfacing waters decreasing, it is imperative that we invest the resources necessary to address . . . water quality degradation and protect our economic reliance on clean and usable water resources,” Mr. Thiele said.

“Nitrogen has been identified as a significant threat to Long Island’s water quality,” Mr. LaValle said, calling for a “thorough scientific study conducted across both counties.”

The funding will enable a study to determine how to mitigate the flow of nitrogen into Long Island waterways, he said.

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