96237522

Description:
The purpose of this agreement is to provide assistance to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water to implement its project to support the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The goal of the plan is to protect and restore Long Island Sound by adding funds to New York State's Water Quality Improvement Projects Program and New York State's Septic System Replacement Fund Program. This will help mitigate water quality impairments in the Long Island Sound watershed.

Activities:
Specifically, under this grant agreement, the recipient will add funds to New York State's Water Quality Improvement Projects Program and New York State's Septic System Replacement Fund Program. The New York State Water Quality Improvement Projects Program is a competitive, reimbursement grant program that addresses documented water quality impairments. The Septic System Replacement Fund Program provides funding to counties to assist homeowners with replacing cesspools or inadequate septic systems that impair water quality. Additional funds will increase the rate and number of replacements in the watershed, leading to a reduction in the nitrogen entering groundwater. This agreement will add funds to the programs specifically for use in the Long Island Sound watershed to finance projects that meet the goals of the Long Island Sound Total Maximum Daily Load. Both programs are managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water.

Subrecipient:
The subawards for the Water Quality Improvement Projects Program will assist eligible applicants to complete construction/implementation projects in categories such as wastewater treatment improvement, non-agricultural nonpoint source abatement and control, and aquatic connectivity restoration.

The subawards for the Septic System Replacement Program will provide funding to the two Long Island counties (Nassau and Suffolk) to assist residents in replacing old septic systems with newer, more efficient systems that reduce nitrogen output.

Specific subaward recipients and projects are not known at this time and will be selected during the course of the project.

Outcomes:
Under this grant agreement, the recipient will reduce contaminant and nutrient loads from point and nonpoint source pollution and improve water quality by reducing the amount of contaminants and pollution entering the Long Island Sound.

Anticipated deliverables include upgraded septic systems and water quality improvements in the New York portion of the Long Island Sound watershed.

Direct beneficiaries of this program include the general population in the New York portion of the Long Island Sound watershed and its surrounding areas, schools, universities and other institutions of learning, environmental managers and policymakers, and the participants in the Long Island Sound Study with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

Department Of Environmental Conservation New York

66.437 - Long Island Sound Program

EPA Region 2: New York City [EPA - RO]

New Haven, Connecticut United States

County-Wide

None

Infrastructure $10,500,000 (64%) percent this Project Grant was funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Act.
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 267% from $4,500,000 to $16,500,000.