Overview
Toxic pollutants include both human-made and natural substances that can be harmful to people and other living things. Toxics can be present in bay and creek waters and bottom sediments, groundwater, soils, and in plants and animals. Toxics can affect the ability of fish, shellfish, and wildlife to survive or reproduce. Some toxics can accumulate in the edible parts of fish, shellfish, and wildlife, making them an unsafe food source for either people or wildlife. Toxic contamination can also impact dredging and dredged material placement operations because limited placement options are available for contaminated sediments.
Because the clean-up of toxic contamination is an expensive proposition, preventing toxic contamination is the preferred management approach. Clean-ups of known problem areas, such as sites identified under Federal and State hazardous waste clean-up laws, address pollution that occurred in the past and return these areas to environmentally sound conditions and productive uses.
Sources of toxics in the Peconics
The toxic contaminants that may be present in the estuary are as diverse as the land uses and activities from which they can originate. Potential sources include: stormwater runoff from private homes and businesses, construction sites, roads and parking lots; sewage treatment plants; individual septic systems; farms, golf courses, mosquito control measures; marinas and recreational boating; Federal and State Superfund sites; treated lumber used for bulkheading, docks and piers; leaking underground storage tanks; and atmospheric deposits from sources near and far.
Pesticides, an emerging concern, may enter the Peconic system from suburban areas such as homes, golf courses, and public and private lawns and landscaped areas, as well as from agricultural operations and mosquito control measures. Though no causal link has been identified, low levels of pesticides (and other toxics) may be affecting living creatures in the Peconic Estuary, especially during the sensitive early life stages of commercially and recreationally important finfish and shellfish. Other plants and animals in the food web may also be affected. Even pesticides that are banned or not being applied can cause or contribute to environmental problems if they are disposed of or stored improperly.
Status of toxics in the Peconics
Relative to other estuaries nationally, toxic contamination is not currently a significant problem in the Peconic Estuary. However, toxic substances have been found in the estuary, and impacts from toxic substances have been documented. The PEP has completed a number of studies to better assess the effect that toxic substances have on the system, both individually and cumulatively. At some locations, detailed investigations and clean-ups are occurring under Federal and State hazardous waste clean-up laws. Limiting the inputs of toxic substances to the system, particularly pesticides, is an important management strategy to prevent problems from occurring in the future, particularly as the population in the watershed increases. The focus of the CCMP is targeting those land uses and activities that contribute toxics to the system and taking steps to prevent them from getting into the ecosystem.
PEP toxics management goals
- Reduce the risks people face from eating toxic contaminated fish and shellfish
- Protect and improve bay and creek waters and bottom sediments for all living things
- Keep toxic substances from entering groundwater and the bays through voluntary and regulatory programs
- Where there is contamination, clean it up quickly
- Monitor toxic concentrations in water, sediments and living things to determine whether the environment is getting cleaner
What the PEP is doing to reduce the effects of toxics
Clean-ups of known problem areas, such as sites identified under Federal and State hazardous waste clean-up laws, address pollution that occurred in the past and return these areas to environmentally sound conditions and productive uses. Because the clean-up of toxic contamination is an expensive proposition, preventing toxic contamination is the preferred management approach. Limiting the inputs of toxic substances to the system, particularly pesticides, is an important management strategy to prevent problems from occurring in the future, particularly as the population in the watershed increases. The focus of the CCMP is targeting those land uses and activities that contribute toxics to the system and taking steps to prevent them from getting into the ecosystem.
