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Long Island Sound Study (LISS)
66.437
N/A
The Long Island Sound Program: (1) implements the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP); and (2) assists the states of Connecticut and New York and other public or nonprofit entities in implementation, research, planning, enforcement, and citizen involvement and education related to reducing pollution and improving the quality of the environment to sustain living resources in the Long Island Sound. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Long Island Sound has received $21 million for FY 2022-25 through CWA §119 and $909,800/year through CWA §320. These allocations will continue through 2026. The LISS goal for IIJA funding is to significantly improve Long Island Sound’s environmental health, climate resilience, and economic vitality in an equitable manner in communities across the Sound’s watershed.
This chart shows obligations for the program by fiscal year. All data for this chart was provided by the
administering agency and sourced from SAM.gov, USASpending.gov, and Treasury.gov.
For more information on each of these data sources, please see the
About the data page.
EPA grantees for the Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant program and the Long Island Sound Scientific Research grant program hold competitions throughout the year based on available funds and Long Island Sound Study priorities. The number of applications and the number of awards made is dependent on the announcement issued. The announcement includes the number of anticipated awards. FY 16 data is not yet available.
The 5-year rolling average for the maximum summer time area of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) in Long Island Sound was estimated at 138 square miles in 2016. This represents a 33.7 percent decline in the five-year rolling average compared to the pre-2000 average (i.e., before the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) was put in place by EPA and the states. This result exceeds the EPA Strategic Plan targets by 15%. The 106 New York and Connecticut wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging to Long Island Sound have reduced nitrogen by more than 44,000,000 pounds annually compared to baseline levels established in the 2000 TMDL. In 2016 reported discharges were below the final TMDL targets, attaining 110% of the EPA Strategic Plan goal. In FY 16, partners restored or protected 532 acres of coastal habitat compared to the target of 96 acres in the Strategic Plan. The partners reopened 50 river miles to fish passage compared to the target of 70 miles in the Strategic Plan.
Continued Acute Hypoxia Standard Reductions: The 5-year rolling average for the maximum summertime area of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) in Long Island Sound was estimated at 95 square miles in 2017. This represents a 54 percent decline in the five-year rolling average compared to the pre-2000 average of 205 square miles (i.e., before the Total Maximum Daily Load was put in place by EPA and the states). The area of hypoxia in 2017 was 70 square miles. The hypoxia areas in 2015 and 2017 are the second and third smallest recorded in the past 31 years of monitoring. The severity of hypoxia has also declined, with no area in the open waters below 1 mg/l dissolved oxygen in seven of the past eight years. Continued Point Source Nitrogen Reduction: The 106 New York and Connecticut wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging to Long Island Sound have reduced nitrogen by 45 million pounds annually compared to baseline levels established in the 2000 TMDL. In 2017 reported discharges were below the final TMDL targets. In 2017, progress continued, with 3,600 fewer pounds of nitrogen discharged every day compared to 2016. Habitat Restoration/Protection: Partners restored or protected 532 acres of coastal habitat in 2016 compared to the target of 96 acres in the Strategic Plan. The partners reopened 50 river miles to fish passage.
Continued Hypoxia Reductions: The 5-year rolling average for the maximum summertime area of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) in Long Island Sound was 89 square miles in 2018. This represents a 57 percent decline in the five-year rolling average compared to the pre-2000 average of 205 square miles (i.e., before the Total Maximum Daily Load was put in place by EPA and the states). The maximum area of hypoxia in 2018 was 52 square miles. The hypoxia areas in 2015, 2018, and 2017 are the second, third and fourth smallest recorded in the past 32 years of monitoring. Continued Point Source Nitrogen Reductions: By the end of calendar year 2017, the 106 New York and Connecticut wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging to Long Island Sound have reduced nitrogen by 45 million pounds annually compared to baseline levels established in the 2000 TMDL. In 2017 reported discharges were below the final TMDL targets. In 2017, wastewater discharged 3,600 fewer pounds of nitrogen every day compared to 2016. 2018 Habitat Restoration and Protection: Long Island Sound Study partners completed 12 restoration projects for a total of 55.4 acres. The program has now achieved its goal to restore 350 acres of habitat by 2020 from the 2014 baseline, and has achieved 35.5 percent of the goal to restore 1000 acres of coastal habitat by 2035 from the 2014 baseline. The partners also completed nine fish passage projects by removing dams or building fishways that reopened 38.6 river miles for fish access. The program has now achieved 54.6 percent of the goal to reopen 200 river miles to fish passage by 2035 from the 2014 baseline. Study partners protected 487.4 acres of open space through acquisitions or easements at 15 sites. The program has now achieved 41.3 percent of the goal to protect 7,000 acres of land by 2035 from the 2014 baseline.
For information about accomplishments under previously funded projects, please visit: https://longislandsoundstudy.net/research-monitoring/liss-research-grant-program/
For accomplishments associated with this assistance listing, please visit: https://longislandsoundstudy.net/category/media-center/annual-and-biennial-reports/ AND https://longislandsoundstudy.net/
In 2000, Connecticut and New York developed, and EPA approved, a plan to reduce by almost 60 percent the sources of enriched nitrogen from Connecticut and New York, as well as reducing upstream sources. The successful actions to reduce nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound have yielded dramatic results. Through infrastructure investments of more than $2.5 billion dollars to improve wastewater treatment, the total nitrogen load to Long Island Sound is now more than 47 million pounds less than the annual discharge in early 1991. The five-year rolling average for the maximum summertime area of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) in Long Island Sound was 94 square miles in 2020. This represents a 54 percent decline compared to the pre-2000 average of 205 square miles (i.e., before the Total Maximum Daily Load for nitrogen was put in place by EPA and the states). See Year in Review 2020 - Long Island Sound Study for more information.
Program investments have allowed the LISS partners to better characterize the health of the Long Island Sound watershed and waterbody. Water quality monitoring has expanded from the open sound to embayments (bays and harbors). Researchers have been able to document water quality improvements due to decreased nitrogen loading from wastewater treatment facilities despite climate change making it harder to maintain water quality standards. The program continues to support local wildlife and fish by investing in the protection of open space habitat; this led to 1,007 habitat acres preserved from 2020 to 2021. Public involvement and education activities, such as the International Coastal Cleanup events, enhance the sustainability and resiliency of the watershed by reducing the amount of marine debris that flows into the waterbody. These activities collectively contribute to the overall health of Long Island Sound.
CLEAN WATERS AND HEALTHY WATERSHED (by the numbers): 1,143,882 gallons of stormwater treated through LISFF green infrastructure projects during the last reporting period; 25,697 square feet of green infrastructure installed through LISFF, a total area about the size of 5 ½ NBA basketball courts; 18,092 pounds of nitrogen prevented from entering Long Island Sound through LISFF projects; 51% reduction in hypoxic area (the extent of waters with low oxygen), from a 5-year average of 208 square miles in 1987-1999 (an area slightly smaller than double the size of Queens, NY) to a 5-year average of 102 square miles in 2019-2023. Because many factors can affect hypoxia, such as rainfall, the five-year average is measured to help account for natural variability that happens from one year to the next; 22% reduction in the duration of hypoxia from the 54-day all-time average to 42 days in 2023; and 26 groups monitored water quality at 43 bays and harbors around Long Island Sound as part of the Unified Water Study, a community-driven monitoring program led by Save the Sound and funded by LISS. In 2023, Project Oceanology joined the program to monitor Mumford Cove and the Pequonnock River in Connecticut. THE PATHOGEN MONITORING NETWORK launched a successful pilot in 2023. With support from LISS, this initiative aims to establish a cohesive network for monitoring fecal bacteria levels across the Long Island Sound watershed (the land and waterways that drain into the Sound). A lack of formal coordination among groups in the past has led to variability in data quantity and quality, highlighting a missed opportunity for collaboration. Through the program, data gaps will be bridged, providing more accurate information about the location, magnitude, and sources of sewage pollution. Comparable data will also enhance coastal habitat management efforts, which include public access to fishing, swimming, and community beaches. SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES (by the numbers): 232,932 people engaged in Long Island Sound education projects through LISFF during the last reporting period; 1,409 volunteers engaged in restoration and stewardship through LISFF projects; 650+ students participated in NY Sea Grant’s Sound Stewards program, which leads educational field trips to Long Island Sound beaches. 40+ people attended 4 capacity building workshops held by Restore America’s Estuaries as part of the Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund. Workshops centered around topics like grant writing, budgeting, and project design; 10 schools were selected to participate in the first year of the Long Island Sound Schools Network, where schools will lead school or community-wide projects to encourage Long Island Sound conservation and literacy; 71 educators in NY and CT participated in workshops held as part of the Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher program; and 98 attendees took part in Reimagining Long Island Lawns: Eco-Friendly Practices, a virtual event that shared information and resources to Long Islanders on how to conserve water and protect water quality through sustainable lawncare. In 2023, LISS Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC) Extension Professionals from CT Sea Grant and NY Sea Grant developed a multi-part training series designed to empower decision-makers to increase the resilience of their communities to climate change and other environmental threats. The series consisted of two webinars, five field trips, and a bi-state workshop.
Single Audit Applies (2 CFR Part 200 Subpart F):
For additional information on single audit requirements for this program, review the current Compliance Supplement.
OMB is working with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and agency offices of inspectors general to include links to relevant oversight reports. This section will be updated once this information is made available.
