A new environmental report card has assigned grades for the water quality in Long Island Sound. The eastern part of the Sound received an “A+.” But water quality in the western Sound near New York City received an “F.”
UConn professor Jamie Vaudrey spearheaded the study released Tuesday by the environmental group, “Save the Sound.”
“This concentration of people brings with it nutrient pollution stemming from wastewater and also stormwater runoff from hardened surfaces like roofs and roads,” Vaudrey said.
Vaudrey said one reason the eastern Sound has better water quality is because it gets flushed out by ocean currents from the Atlantic.
She said reducing nitrogen pollution and upgrading septic systems could help improve water quality.
The biennial report card for the first time also studied water quality in 38 bays in Connecticut and New York. Only six received an “A-” or better.
