Workgroups of technical experts and key partners are advising the Project Management Team.
- Fertilizer Management – This workgroup is examining measures to improve management and reduce use of fertilizer in agriculture, golf courses, the landscape industry, and by homeowners.
- Nassau County Subwatershed Planning – This workgroup provides input and advises the LINAP Project Management Team as it works with Nassau County to develop groundwater and surface water nitrogen load reduction strategies.
- Suffolk County Subwatershed Planning – Several subcommittees have been assisting with data collection, modeling assumptions, and regulatory reform.
- Bio-Extraction – This workgroup is exploring the feasibility and efficacy of bio-extraction in the waters of Long Island, NYC and Westchester. More information will be added to this page as the workgroup develops.
Fertilizer Management Workgroup
The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) Fertilizer Management Workgroup was established to provide input and support in the development and implementation of the LINAP. The workgroup’s purpose includes:
- Acting as a forum to understand and make people aware of actions taken to date by the various industries to reduce fertilizer pollution; and
- Identifying actions that can be taken looking forward to further reduce nitrogen pollution from fertilizer use.
The workgroup is not a decision making body, but will promote information exchange and idea sharing. This will include advising the Project Management Team in developing fertilizer management recommendations.
LINAP will evaluate the effectiveness of existing strategies to minimize the impact of nitrogen from fertilizers on Long Island’s waterbodies. It will also determine if additional fertilizer management strategies might be valuable in some or all watersheds to achieve nitrogen load reductions.
Current Workgroup Activities
The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan Fertilizer Management Workgroup met several times to discuss the best management practices for turf grass fertilizers. In attendance at these workgroup meetings were various sectors, including landscapers, fertilizer manufactures, golf courses, environmental groups, and state and county government. The meetings provided a forum for healthy discussions on various turf grass fertilizer topics. The series of meetings has led to a group of turf grass fertilizer recommendations that help consumers care for their lawns while lessening their environmental impacts.
These recommendations are available for download and can be printed for personal and professional use.
Fertilizer Recommendations (PDF, 182 KB)
Fertilizer Fact Sheets
Fact sheets have been developed from the information gathered from the workgroup. The purpose of these fact sheets are to give people additional information to help them care for their lawns while considering the environmental impacts. A fact sheet on Fertilizer Application Timing and another on Managing Irrigation are available on the web site.
In addition, the fact sheets are available for download and can be printed for personal and professional use.
Fertilizer fact sheet – Timing (PDF, 420 KB)
Fertilizer fact sheet – Irrigation (PDF, 380 KB)
Sector Meetings
A second set of fertilizer workgroup meetings were held in June 2017 with four key sectors/industries: golf courses, landscapers, fertilizer manufacturers, and agriculture. The purpose of the meetings was to review the results of the fertilizer workgroup questionnaires and review initiatives by each sector to reduce fertilizer nitrogen use.
Notes from each sector meeting are available for download below. Please note that these notes capture, to the best of our ability, the statements made and opinions voiced at these meetings. The purpose of posting these notes is to ensure transparency in the LINAP workgroup process. These notes should not be used as a reference document. The statements in these documents are not necessarily supported or endorsed by NYSDEC or LIRPC.
Fertilizer Workgroup Second Meeting Notes – Golf Courses (PDF, 167 KB)
Fertilizer Workgroup Second Meeting Notes – Landscaping & Grounds (PDF, 146 KB)
Fertilizer Workgroup Second Meeting Notes – Manufacturers (PDF, 284 KB)
Fertilizer Workgroup Second Meeting Notes – Agriculture (PDF, 228 KB)
Following the first workgroup meeting in December 2016, questionnaires corresponding with fertilizer topics listed in the LINAP scope were completed by workgroup members. Summaries of the responses to each questionnaire are available for download:
Fertilizer Formulations and Application Questionnaire Summary (PDF, 335 KB)
Fertilizer Regulations Questionnaire Summary (PDF, 289 KB)
Nutrient Recycling Questionnaire Summary (PDF, 241 KB)
Management Measures to Reduce Fertilizer Requirements Questionnaire Summary (PDF, 226 KB)
Use of Native Plants to Reduce Fertilizer Questionnaire Summary (PDF, 300 KB)
Nassau County Subwatershed Planning
The Nassau County Subwatershed Advisory Workgroup provides input and advises the LINAP Project Management Team as it works with Nassau County to develop groundwater and surface water nitrogen load reduction strategies.
The first meeting was held on April 20, 2017. Members were introduced to the nitrogen load model (NLM) and hydrodynamic modeling currently underway. The NLM will determine the nitrogen load from wastewater, fertilizer, and atmospheric deposition to 13 subwatersheds throughout the County. Hydrodynamic modeling is being used to estimate nitrogen loading and flushing rates. The models will determine the priority subwatersheds in the County and inform nitrogen load reduction strategies.
PDFs of the five presentations given at the meeting are available below.
Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan Nassau County Subwatershed Planning (PDF, 1.3 MB) – Lorraine Holdridge, NYSDEC Division of Water
USGS Groundwater Delineation Effort (PDF, 974 KB) – Paul Misut & Christopher Schubert, United States Geological Survey
Long Island Groundwater Sustainability Study (PDF, 2.2 MB) – Christopher Schubert, United States Geological Survey
Nassau County North Shore Bays Surface Water Modeling & Great South Bay Flushing Time (PDF, 2.6 MB) – Robert Wilson & Charles Flagg, Stony Brook University
Nassau County Nitrogen Reduction Initiatives (PDF, 3.2 MB) – Brian Schneider, Nassau County Department of Public Works
Quantifying Nitrogen Loading from Land to Sea in Nassau County (PDF, 4.2 MB) – Christopher Gobler, Stony Brook University
