Tide monitoring system at South Ferry to protect Peconic Estuary

Dec. 13 was a day of celebration despite cold temperatures at South Ferry as a small crowd gathered for the unveiling of a new tide monitoring and flood warning station.

The water quality monitoring equipment was purchased and installed with Suffolk County capital funds. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) cooperated to bring the station to South Ferry in cooperation with the ferry company’s management.

The station expands the existing USGS network of flood-resilient tide gauges and continuous water-quality monitoring in a vulnerable area of the central Peconic Estuary. It brings to three the number of USGS Continuous Monitoring Stations. The other two are in Orient and Riverhead.

“Our waters are truly our life blood and these efforts will enable all of us to gain a better understanding of the water quality in our estuary,” Councilman Jim Colligan said.

The monitoring of tides will help the Island and the other East End towns adopt mitigation measures to safeguard local communities, Mr. Colligan added.

As the Town Board’s representative to the PEP, Mr. Colligan noted the Island has embraced its Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan developed in 2020 in line with PEP’s focus: “Strong Partnerships, Resilient Communities, Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems with Abundant, Diverse Wildlife.”

The upgraded monitoring system is one of many initiatives the PEP has launched in recent years to help monitor and improve water quality, he said. It will “help East End communities to protect vital waterways for future generations.”

Cliff Clark, president of South Ferry, told the Reporter, “We feel it is important to our business and Shelter Island to have access to the tide data at our location. The only requirement we placed on them for the privilege of using our facility is that USGS partner with the Shelter Island School to do regular on-site visits with their representative showing the students the equipment, the data and what it means to our future.”

The tide-warning gauge provides a non-contact radar level sensor secured to a stable piling in an area generally free from ice during winter months. The sensor, with a self-contained wireless bridge, is mounted several feet above the highest expected or recorded water level. The wireless bridge connects by a line-of-site radio to a data collection platform.

Together with all other electrical components, it’s mounted several feet above the 100-year coastal-flood elevation inside a reinforced shelter.

Tidal water elevation data is recorded every six minutes, stored onsite and transmitted to the USGS.

USGS NY Water Science Center Director, Rob Breault said the organization is happy to include the Shelter Island station into its national networks.

“It’s through these great local-federal partnerships that we can advance our understanding of our nation’s most precious resources,” Mr. Breault said.

“Water quality is a main concern of PEP,” said Peconic Estuary Partnership Executive Director, Joyce Novak, Ph.D. ”We work on actions to reduce nitrogen pollution, harmful algal blooms, pathogens, toxic contaminants and plastics in the estuary to support the well-being of public and wildlife within the estuary. Water quality monitoring is essential in order to assess the health of the Peconic Estuary and to help determine if management goals are being reached. One of the monitoring programs that PEP supports in conjunction with the USGS is the continuous monitoring provided by these stations.”

Ms. Novak thanked both Suffolk County for the funding and Mr. Clark for his cooperation in providing the site for the equipment.