Brown Tide
B-1.4 Support continued funding for NOAA-funded Brown Tide research and management projects, cooperation among researchers, and dissemination of information on progress and results under the Brown Tide Research Initiative.
B-1.5 Identify potential funding sources to implement the Brown Tide Workplan and secure funding for Workplan priorities.
B-1.7 Coordinate Brown Tide Steering Committee activities to periodically update the Brown Tide Workplan with necessary research and management projects.
Nutrients
N-1.1 Integrate monitoring and modeling data, studies, and reports to evaluate the application of the 0.45 mg/l total nitrogen guideline to the Peconic Estuary as a means of attaining and maintaining dissolved oxygen standards and for use in developing regional load allocation strategies, a CWA Section 303(d) listing, and TMDL establishment, to attain and maintain the dissolved oxygen standard.
N-1.2 Integrate monitoring and modeling data, studies, and reports to evaluate the use of the recommended 0.4 mg/l total nitrogen guideline for the shallow waters of the estuary to optimize eelgrass habitats and for use in developing regional load allocation strategies, a CWA Section 303(d) listing, and TMDL establishment.
N-2.1 Develop and implement water quality preservation plans to protect existing water quality for waters east of Flanders Bay where water quality meets or exceeds established standards, criteria, or guidelines. Plans should address potential point and nonpoint pollutant sources as well as strategies for preventing and/or mitigating impacts.
N-3.1 Initiate the development of load allocation targets and implementation strategies for nitrogen loading to the entire estuary, with particular emphasis on subwatersheds for peripheral creeks and embayments (e.g., Meetinghouse Creek, West Neck Bay, and Sag Harbor). Any subsequent Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listing and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) established for the “western estuary,” the Peconic River/Flanders Bay area (see following actions) can incorporate these interim steps. These load allocation targets will be based on surface water nitrogen guideline attainment. In addition, the appropriate Nitrogen Management Work Groups and the Management Committee, will evaluate nonpoint source pollution effects on groundwater quality, coupled with groundwater impacts on the surface water nitrogen guideline, and will thereby consider the viability of subregional groundwater quality targets as a means to protect surface water quality.
N-3.2 Review all PEP data to identify water segments to be included in New York State’s 2002 303(d) list.
N-3.3 Establish schedule for development of TMDL for Peconic River/Flanders Bay segments included on 303(d) list based on completion of water quality model and adoption of revised dissolved oxygen standard.
N-5.2 Investigate feasible implementation mechanisms and develop a plan to prevent increases and encourage decreases in nitrogen in groundwater underflow due to domestic fertilizer use.
N-5.3 Investigate feasible implementation mechanisms and develop a plan to prevent increases and encourage decreases in nitrogen in groundwater underflow due to on-site disposal systems (sanitary systems).
N-5.4 Develop a regional implementation plan for agricultural nitrogen load reductions which would include promoting agricultural best management practices, expanding agricultural environmental management (AEM) strategies, and promoting organic farming among other initiatives.
N-7.1 Evaluate programs in which a 50/50 split for funding of preservation and mitigation efforts can be applied (e.g., Section 319 Nonpoint Source Implementation; NYS Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act) and determine mechanisms for its implementation.
N-8.1 Integrate PEP recommendations into existing land use and regulatory programs, including the SEQRA regulations (6NYCRR Part 617), Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law, Suffolk County Water Quality Coordinating Committee, Suffolk County Planning Commission and Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality reviews, the Southold Ground Watershed Protection and Water Supply Management Strategy, the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers statute and regulations (6NYCRR Part 666), the Freshwater Wetlands regulations (6 NYCRR Part 663), the Tidal Wetlands Land Use regulations (6 NYCRR Part 661), and the Protection of Waters regulations (6 NYCRR Part 608).
N-9.3 Update the land use database on a regular basis and prepare a proposal outlining the objectives and needs for a long-term monitoring program.
Habitat & Living Resources
HLR-1.1 Collect and interpret natural resource, water quality, and land use data sets. Use GIS technology to finalize a comprehensive inventory of species, natural communities and water quality, refine maps (including development of maps of each CNRA), and evaluate individual and cumulative threats within each CNRA.
HLR-1.2 Finalize CNRA boundaries and adopt CNRAs by appropriate levels of government.
HLR-1.3 Develop management recommendations and plans to protect CNRAs in each town in coordination with existing Federal, State, county, and municipal programs that address individual and potential cumulative impacts including, but not limited to, docks, shoreline stabilization structures, dredging, marinas, artificial reefs, fish farms, shellfish culture, fishing, pesticides, golf courses, motorized personal watercraft, swimming pools, sewage treatment and disposal, building and adjacent upland development, and clearing of vegetation.
HLR-1.4 Protect the CNRAs through land acquisition and other protection tools (e.g., clearing restrictions, setback requirements, zoning, Transfer of Development Rights) principally within the areas themselves and including essential watershed buffers (see Chapter 7).
HLR-2.1 Quantify and map all hardened shoreline, docks and piers, and flow-restriction structures in the Peconic Estuary and assess the overall impacts of stabilization structures on natural resources. Develop recommendations to promote alternative shoreline management and incentives for maintaining and restoring natural shorelines.
HLR-2.3 Establish and enforce a policy of “no net increase” of hardened shoreline in the Peconic Estuary and, if possible, a net decrease in hardened shoreline. Use HLR-1 and HLR-2 as a mechanism to establish this strategy.
HLR-2.4 Develop a variety of financial incentives and programs to encourage property owners to remove or modify hardened shoreline structures and replace them with natural vegetation and other vegetated (bioengineered) alternatives to restore the natural shoreline of the estuary.
HLR-3.1 Hold a “Dredging Summit” for the Peconic Estuary System to address specific concerns (i.e., impacts on shorebird nesting, demersal fish eggs, benthic communities, and the potential release of contaminants) and develop dredging guidance on an embayment-specific basis and for identified CNRAs. Integrate dredging guidance into existing regulatory programs.
HLR-3.2 Assess navigational dredging in tidal creeks and embayments (utilizing Suffolk County’s Generic Environmental Impact Statement) for damages or impacts to eelgrass beds and other habitats and develop permit conditions to minimize impacts that potentially could result in habitat loss and degradation. Determine if navigational dredging locally impairs water quality to the point of precluding restoration of eelgrass.
HLR-6.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of current policies in preserving eelgrass habitat and develop ways to provide increased protection for all extant eelgrass.
HLR-7.1 Develop and implement an estuary-wide Habitat Restoration Plan (HRP).
HLR-7.3 Inventory and prioritize a list of restoration projects for which planning is underway and recommend these for “fast-tracking” towards Bond Act funding.
HLR-8.3 Develop a quantitative goal for eelgrass restoration based on ongoing monitoring and mapping efforts.
HLR-10.1 Assist in the development and implementation of an estuary-wide aquaculture plan. Include criteria regarding scale, location, assessment, monitoring, and methodologies of shellfish and finfish aquaculture which would be ecologically beneficial and would help sustain aquaculture as a beneficial estuarine use when performed in a manner that is sensitive to the natural conditions, productivity and ecology of the Peconic Estuary.
HLR-12.1 Collect better statistical data on commercial and recreational fishing landings and bycatch specific to the Peconic Estuary System.
HLR-12.2 Identify, protect, and restore key shellfish and finfish spawning, nursery, and feeding habitats in the Peconic Estuary to enhance shellfish and fish stocks and incorporate this data into the on-going Essential Fish Habitat work being conducted under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).
HLR-13.1 Strengthen existing municipal shorebird (terns and plovers) management programs to ensure timely fencing and erection of enclosures, adequate monitoring and reporting, and management of recreation and other activities within nesting and feeding habitat. Implement the 1997 Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation Piping Plover Protection Program and the NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife 1998 Action Plan for Piping Plover Conservation in New York.
HLR-15.1 Each town should develop a master or comprehensive management plan, coordinated with plans of other towns that increases the level of protection of natural resources and habitats and accounts for cumulative impacts.
HLR-15.2 Increase public access to the estuary consistent with other ecosystem objectives.
HLR-16.1 Develop and implement a research program for the Peconic Estuary and its watershed to investigate natural processes, impairments, and links to water quality, maintenance of systems and species, and effects of recreation and pollution on biodiversity, among other research needs. Investigate and seek funding sources for supporting implementation of the program (e.g., National Estuarine Research Reserve Systems)
HLR-16.2 Develop a long-term program for monitoring and assessment of living resources in the Peconic Estuary that is coordinated with the development of a research plan and ongoing research and monitoring efforts.
Pathogens
P-2.1 Evaluate existing, and develop model land use regulations that eliminate or minimize new sources of stormwater runoff.
P-3.1 Require the use of BMPs to control stormwater runoff and sediment erosion at construction sites.
P-4.6 Develop a “Regional Stormwater Management Plan” to evaluate and recommend technologies to remediate stormwater runoff in the estuary.
P-5.2 Work with waterfront residents to conduct voluntary dye tests on their septic systems to determine if there are significant leakage problems.
P-7.2 Develop and submit an appropriate application for a vessel waste no discharge area based on recommendations provided by the committee in P-7.1.
P-7.3 Implement and enforce a vessel waste no discharge area throughout the estuary.
P-13.1 Develop nonpoint source control plans for specific embayments for each nonpoint source category associated with potential pathogen contamination (such as stormwater runoff, on-site disposal systems, and marinas/boating) through the “Regional Stormwater Management Plan” and sub-watershed management pilot projects for each town (see Action P-12).
P-14.3 Identify projects in the Peconic Estuary watershed under the New York Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act that will improve water quality by preventing or remediating road runoff.
Toxics
T-1.5 Re-evaluate PEP sediment survey data to identify chemicals present above known effects levels. Identify toxics present at low levels that individually or cumulatively may be affecting aquatic resources.
T-1.6 Determine the potential local source of PCBs in Meetinghouse Creek and, once identified, control or otherwise remediate the source.
T-1.8 Identify past and present marinas/boatyard sites as potential sources of heavy metal contamination to the estuary; quantify the extent of the problem and possible effects on the estuary.
T-2.4 Ensure that BNL adequately implements its Environmental Management System focused on environmental compliance and emphasizing pollution prevention as specified in the EPA/DOE March 1998 MOA.
T-2.5 Implement environmental clean-up remedies under Superfund for Operable Unit V at BNL. Ensure that the remedial investigation currently underway adequately addresses human health (chemical and radiological) and ecological impacts, including potential downstream and off-site impacts.
T-4.1 Continue to pursue development/establishment of the Long Island Pesticide Management Plan and enforceable Statewide agricultural pesticide program requirements under CZARA, which reduce the potential for contamination of surface water and ground water due to the application of pesticides. In the meantime, seek commitments on a voluntary basis from landowners to comply with this management measure.
T-4.2 Plan, advertise, and carry out a “Clean Sweep” program to collect and properly dispose of banned or unneeded agricultural and turf/landscaping pesticides.
T-4.6 Develop and implement a comprehensive agricultural pesticide management proposal for funding by the USDA.
T-6.6 Develop model guidelines for the placement of treated lumber in the marine environment and identify non-toxic structures, consistent with PEP’s overall policy of no net increase of shoreline hardening structures. These guidelines should also address disposal of treated lumber following demolition.
T-6.7 Support Legislative framework and EPA regulatory action to reduce/eliminate the use of MTBE in gasoline.
Critical Lands Protection
CLPP-1.1 Identify parcels currently recommended for acquisition in the Peconic Estuary by various levels of government. (i.e., CPF lists).
CLPP-1.2 Finalize GIS data coverages that allow selection of parcels within the watershed.
CLPP-1.3 Develop a draft map of parcels (for discussion) selected for protection with respect to estuarine management concerns.
CLPP-1.4 Hold town-by-town meetings with town officials to discuss individual parcels.
CLPP-1.5 Incorporate suggestions from the towns and develop a final map illustrating parcels recommended for protection with respect to estuarine management concerns.
CLPP-1.6 Incorporate suggestions from the towns and develop a final list of parcels recommended for protection with respect to estuarine management concerns.
CLPP-2.1 Continue to refine the CNRA boundaries with results of the work from the PEP Natural Resources Subcommittee.
CLPP-3.1 Determine the costs of acquisition efforts if particular parcels were purchased. Determine the additional cost if all parcels were purchased.
CLPP-3.2 Assess the funding gap between needed protection and available funding sources.
CLPP-3.3 Analyze and estimate the economic benefits of land acquisition to the community as a whole and to the neighborhood in which protected land is located.
CLPP-4.1 Prepare the PEP Critical Lands Protection Plan report.
Public Education and Outreach
POE-4.1 Develop and implement a comprehensive education/media program to reduce residential fertilizer use in the watershed.
POE-5.1 Develop and carry out an education campaign to eliminate or reduce domestic pesticide use in the watershed. Educate home and business owners about the importance of dealing only with certified commercial applicators of pesticides. (See related Toxics Action T-4.3.)
POE-8.3 Provide funding for an education and outreach coordinator to work with citizens and the private sector in carrying out the CCMP.
Financing
F-1.1 Establish a finance workgroup to formulate/refine financing options.
F-2.3 Effectively use funding for PEP recommended projects from the Suffolk County ¼% Sales Tax Program.
F-11.3 Implement the Community Preservation Fund and coordinate this program with other open space conservation programs.
F-13.1 Investigate the feasibility of establishing selective sales fees (on products such as fertilizers and pesticides) to fund environmental management programs.
Post-CCMP Management
M-1.1 Continue the current management conference structure. Review the effectiveness of this structure during Implementation Reviews, or as needed, and make changes as appropriate.
M-1.2 Continue to use SCDHS Office of Ecology as the PEP Program Office, to provide program administration, coordination, management, and technical support services.
M-2.1 Implement the PEP Environmental Monitoring Plan and integrate/coordinate monitoring with research.
M-2.2 Appoint a Living Resources Monitoring and Research Coordinator to develop and oversee the long-term habitat and living resources monitoring plan.
M-2.3 Continue to fund the NYSDEC coordinator, particularly to coordinate management of habitat and living resources issues in the post-CCMP period.
M-3.1 Produce Implementation Reports on outputs (attainment of CCMP commitments and recommendations), and reports on outcomes (environmental conditions and indicators).
M-4.1 Update municipal officials on the Peconic Estuary Program. Provide educational opportunities for these officials on the CCMP and technical issues.
