Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. and Senator Kenneth P. LaValle today urged East End Towns, Villages and non profit entities to band together to develop and submit regionally supported projects to protect and restore the Peconic Estuary.

This year, there is an additional $2 million in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program for non-point source, wastewater or aquatic habitat restoration projects in the Peconic Estuary watershed, supported by the Peconic Estuary Program’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. This extra funding is available from unspent, recouped funds from the $1.75 billion Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996.

This special funding for the Peconics is in additional to the over $30 million available in the WQIP program. WQIP is a competitive, state-wide reimbursement grant program for municipalities, soil and water conservation districts and non-profit organizations to reduce polluted runoff, improve water quality and restore habitat in New York's waterbodies. More information and application guidance on Round 11 of the WQIP and the special $2 million pot for the Peconic Estuary can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/4774.html. Deadline for submission is November 8.

Assemblyman Thiele and Senator Ken LaValle have been intimately involved in the Peconic Estuary Program since the beginning. In 1985, the waters of the Estuary turned the color of coffee; Brown Tide, a harmful algal bloom, swept in and devastated the nationally acclaimed local scallop industry. It was because of this crisis and the outcry of concern from citizens, elected officials, environmentalists, businesses, and industries that the Peconic Estuary was inducted into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. Since 1993 this “Estuary of National Significance” has been working to restore the natural environment and protect the historic fishing, shellfishing, and tourism industry which continues to contribute millions of dollars annually to New York’s recovering economy.

Twenty years later while an incredible amount of progress has been made, there are several new additional threats to the Peconics. Cochlodinium polykrikoides, otherwise known as red tide, has been turning the blue waters of the Peconics red. This species has been documented to kill phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish, and juvenile and larval shellfish including bay scallops, hard clams and oysters in a matter of minutes. It is thought that excess nutrients are the contributing factor in the appearance of these blooms.

Assemblyman Thiele stated, “Not only must we protect the scenic beauty and the ecological integrity of the Peconic Estuary, we must protect the resource which drives the East End economy, pumping millions of dollars into our region.

Senator Ken LaValle noted, “The Peconic Estuary is a local treasure and a valued environmental resource that is part of our economic development and must be preserved and protected.”