The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) is a multi-year initiative to reduce nitrogen in Long Island’s surface and ground water in the effort to protect and improve the quality of drinking water sources and water bodies. It is among the most significant environmental initiatives since the preservation of the Pine Barrens.
The project is being implemented by the Long Island Regional Planning Council, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Suffolk and Nassau counties, with input from multiple partners and stakeholders.
Nitrogen is the leading cause of water quality deterioration in Long Island’s estuaries. It comes primarily from wastewater and fertilizer. Excess nitrogen causes toxic algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions, fish kills, and degraded wetlands and marine habitats. Nitrogen also contaminates the groundwater which is the sole source of the region’s drinking water.
The primary goals of LINAP are to: identify sources of nitrogen to surface waters and groundwater; establish nitrogen reduction endpoints; and develop an implementation plan to achieve reductions. LINAP will determine how best to reduce nitrogen loading through technical, management, and regulatory/policy actions.
Workgroups of technical experts and key partners that are advising the LINAP Project Management Team include: Suffolk County Subwatershed Planning, Nassau County Subwatershed Planning, Fertilizer Management, Bio-Extraction and Water Re-use.
More Reading
LIRPC Video: Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan
Presentation: USGS groundwatershed delineation effort
Presentation: Quantifying nitrogen loading from land to sea in Nassau County
