Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a vital environmental, recreational, tourist, and economic resource to New York and Connecticut, providing economic value of $17 - $37 billion. The health of the Sound is crucial to the livelihood of the communities that surround it. There are more than 23 million people living within a 50-mile radius of Long Island Sound, and it supports more than 191,000 watershed-dependent jobs.
Despite the Sound's immense environmental and economic value, the health of LIS is threatened by pollution, habitat destruction, and invasive species. CCE has made meaningful progress to protect and restore the Sound, including a significant reduction in nitrogen levels and protection of critical habitat in New York and Connecticut. While progress has been made, much more work remains to protect the Sound. CCE works at the local, state, and federal levels to protect Long Island Sound's water quality, wildlife habitat, open spaces, and heritage.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a natural wonder of the world that holds one-fifth of the world's fresh water supply. Comprising over 700 miles of New York's shoreline, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River hold the key to our economic health, recreation, and irreplaceable family experiences.
The Great Lakes supply millions of New Yorkers with their drinking water, provide habitat for wildlife, and support billion dollar industries such as tourism and fishing. The Great Lakes ecosystem is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent treasure troves of natural resources on Earth.
Despite progress to protect and restore the Great Lakes since the adoption of the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes remain threatened by pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction. New York is dependent upon a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem, yet inaction continues and signs of decline are apparent.
CCE works at the local, state, and federal level to protect Great Lakes water quality and quantity by championing several Great Lakes campaigns and initiatives:
Drinking Water Protection
Clean, abundant, and affordable drinking water is essential for life. From the Great Lakes, to the Finger Lakes, to NYC’s drinking water reservoir system, to Long Island’s sole source aquifer, to Connecticut’s surface and groundwater resources, CCE works to protect the drinking water for all New York and Connecticut residents, from its source all the way to the tap.
Learn about CCE’s campaign to protect New York’s drinking water from dangerous “forever chemicals”
Learn about CCE’s campaign to protect New York’s drinking water from 1,4-dioxane
Ocean Protection
Home to a rich variety of fish and wildlife, the Atlantic Ocean is a beautiful place for families to swim in and fish from, and acts as an economic driver for the Mid-Atlantic region. Ocean industries contribute over $47 billion to the region's gross domestic product, providing us with delicious seafood, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and valuable recreation opportunities.
Our enjoyment of these places relies on their continued health. Unfortunately, ocean ecosystems are facing a rising number of threats, such as pollution, overfishing, rising temperatures, and ocean acidification.
CCE works at the local, state and regional level to ensure healthy ocean ecosystems so that we can enjoy vibrant and healthy oceans now and for generations to come.
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake, located on the northwest side of Syracuse, NY, is improving after a century of abuse. Great strides in water quality improvements have been made as a result of action required under the Clean Water Act and Superfund by Onondaga County and Honeywell International, respectively. CCE is active in efforts to improve the overall water quality of Onondaga Lake and engage the Onondaga Lake watershed community on opportunities to help protect Onondaga Lake. Onondaga Lake is a unique treasure to the Syracuse and Onondaga County community. The largely undeveloped waterfront is owned by the public and restoration provides opportunities to reclaim this as a community asset.
Projects have been implemented around Onondaga Lake and throughout the watershed to increase recreation and public access of the lake, including boating and fishing access, as well as ecological restoration projects to restore natural habitats, native fish, and plant species that had been diminished due to the decades of pollution. These projects not only promote tourism, but also benefit residents and community members who have been unable to fully enjoy the lake for decades.
More information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup can be found here.
Long Island
South Shore Estuary Reserve
Photo Courtesy of William Fahey
The South Shore Estuary Reserve is a unique place for Long Island where saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean and fresh water from upland streams and groundwater mix. This 326 square mile watershed includes a system of streams and estuaries emptying into 173 square miles of south shore bays and wetlands. The Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve extends for over 70 miles along the Atlantic shoreline of Long Island, from Reynolds Channel in Nassau County to the eastern shores of Shinnecock Bay in Suffolk County. As part of CCE’s work on the SSER, we work to protect and restore the Western Bays:
The Western Bays is a sub-region of the South Shore Estuary Reserve, extending from the western boundary of the Town of Hempstead to the Nassau/Suffolk County line. They are home to the largest concentration of salt marshes in the South Shore Estuary Reserve. This system of bays and marshes provides critical habitat for birds and marine species, and offer abundant recreational opportunities for residents and tourists. Once productive fishing and shellfishing grounds, the water quality and habitat of the bays has deteriorated in recent decades.
To restore the Western Bays, CCE is working with local and state partners on the Bay Park Conveyance Project. Currently, treated wastewater effluent is discharged into the Western Bays. Scientific research has shown that this treated effluent stays in the Western Bays and has deteriorated its health. The Bay Park Conveyance Project will take the treated effluent and discharge it into the ocean via the existing ocean outfall pipe at the Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. This is the most significant environmental project in the Western Bays in decades and will restore the health of the bays. To learn more check out: https://www.bayparkconveyance.org/
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