MakingWaves - News From the Division of Water

In This Issue:

• Water Well Contractor Registration
• Reminder: Sustain Our Great Lakes 2022 Funding Opportunity
• Public Presentation for Long Island Sound Embayment Study
• Bay Park Conveyance Project Information Session
• Groundbreaking of Forge River Wastewater Treatment Plant

Water Well Contractor Registration

DEC's Water Well Contractor Program is currently accepting applications for the Certificate of Registration for the period April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. The application and payment may be completed online.

Registration is required by March 31 each year for all water well contractors who drill or repair water wells in New York State. The on-site contractor must be certified for the work that they are conducting (well drilling and/or pump installation). A Preliminary Notice must be filed prior to drilling a well and a Water Well Completion Report must be filed upon completion of water well drilling.

For additional information, contact Water Well Program staff at 877-472-2619 or NYSWaterWells@dec.ny.gov.

Reminder: Sustain Our Great Lakes 2022 Funding Opportunity

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is soliciting applications for funding to restore and enhance habitat in the Great Lakes basin. Find the Request for Proposals on NFWF's website. Pre-proposals are due February 28, 2022. 

Funding categories for 2022 include:

• Restore and Enhance Stream and Riparian Habitat
• Restore and Enhance Coastal Habitats
• Expand Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Great Lakes Communities
• Maintain and Enhance Benefits of Habitat Restoration through Invasive Species Control
• Accelerate Implementation of Conservation Practices and Regenerative Agriculture on Working Lands

Public Presentation for Long Island Sound Embayment Study

DEC has announced a virtual public information session on February 17, 2022, 2 to 4 p.m., about a new water quality study of Long Island Sound embayments. The study, as part of the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP), will explore potential technologies available to exchange more sea water into embayments along the Long Island Sound to help reduce the accumulation of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, and improve the health of the waterbody.

The study is one of many efforts by DEC, Nassau and Suffolk counties, and our partners to reduce nitrogen pollution throughout Long Island’s surface and ground waters. The need for the assessment was realized from the results of Nassau and Suffolk counties’ subwatershed studies, which showed that some embayments will not be able to meet their water quality goals by using the current suite of pollution reduction actions. The study is being funded through a grant from the US EPA Long Island Sound Study.

Attend DEC’s virtual information session to learn about the study’s goals, objectives, and deliverables. Visit the LINAP webpage for more information. 

Bay Park Conveyance Project Information Session

DEC and the Nassau County Department of Public Works are hosting a virtual public information session with the Design-Build Team, Western Bays Constructors (WBC), on Thursday, February 10, 2022, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. WBC will provide information on upcoming construction activities. The project team will be available to answer questions.

The project will reduce nitrogen in the Western Bays of Long Island by conveying treated water from the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility (previously known as the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant) to the Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant’s ocean outfall, which discharges and diffuses treated water three miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Since the open ocean has higher tidal mixing capabilities, nitrogen will not build up in the ocean like it does in the Western Bays. As a result, communities near the Western Bays will experience enhanced quality of life, improved water quality, revitalized shellfish habitat and restored vital marshlands that protect communities from wave action and coastal surge.

Visit the Bay Park Conveyance Project website for more information.

Groundbreaking of Forge River Wastewater Treatment Plant

Governor Kathy Hochul and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone have announced the groundbreaking of the $223.9 million Forge River Watershed Sewer District project designed to reduce nitrogen loading and improve water quality for homeowners and businesses located in the Mastic-Shirley area. Once completed in 2025, a new wastewater treatment plant in Mastic, Town of Brookhaven, will serve nearly 1,900 parcels in the nearby Shirley-Mastic area. This project is part of the $408.8 million Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Initiative announced last fall.