Senator Venditto Announces $5 Million for Long Island Nitrogen Management and Mitigation

New York State Senator Michael Venditto (R-C-I, Massapequa) today announced that the final 2015-16 state budget will include $5 million for Long Island projects that target and reduce harmful nitrogen pollution. Excessive nitrogen in discharges from wastewater treatment plants, cesspools, septic systems, and stormwater runoff jeopardizes groundwater and damages coastal ecosystems that help support Long Island’s economy, provide storm resiliency, and maintain healthy natural resources.

Senator Venditto said, “The $5 million included in the budget was one of my top priorities because it is critical to addressing Long Island’s most damaging nitrogen sources and protecting our waters. Nitrogen is a serious threat to the health and livelihood of our region and this funding will help prevent the continued deterioration of our coastal environment and make necessary improvements to water quality.”

The budget to be adopted this week includes a total of $5 million to support a new Long Island Nitrogen Management and Mitigation Plan. The plan will assess nitrogen pollution in Long Island's waters, identify the sources of nitrogen pollution and where it is going, establish reduction goals for Long Island’s watersheds, and develop a plan to accomplish these reduction goals. There is $2 million specifically targeted to implement the plan’s recommendations.

Addressing nitrogen pollution was one of the top budget priorities for Senator Venditto because of its economic, environmental, and health impacts to the region.

“The excessive nitrogen pollution that is in Long Island’s waters affects fisheries, tourism, our quality of life, and the ability of our coastal communities to withstand potential storm damage, so I am thrilled we were able to secure funding to address this issue,” Senator Venditto said.