Long Island Sound Septic System Replacements Are Underway

The Septic System Replacement Fund Program, supported by EPA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding passed through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to the Interstate Environmental Commission, will provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners in Nassau and Suffolk County to aid in replacing septic systems or cesspools that impair water quality in the Long Island Sound watershed. This $7,560,016 funding mechanism provides an additional funding source to supplement the existing New York State and County programs for the installation of advanced nitrogen-reducing septic systems. Additional funds will increase the rate and number of system replacements in the watershed, leading to a further reduction in pollutants entering the Long Island Sound watershed. To be eligible to receive additional funding under this program, homeowners and eligible businesses must be located within the Long Island Sound watershed. Eligible homeowners and small business owners may be reimbursed up to $10,000 of eligible costs under this funding mechanism program. Additional County and Town funding may be available to eligible property and business owners, resulting in reimbursements totaling $20,000 or more.

New septic systems, also known as Innovative and Alternative Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (IA OWTS), reduce the amount of nitrogen entering surface water and groundwater. By comparison, conventional septic systems were never designed to remove nitrogen and release an average of 40 pounds of nitrogen per household, per year into surface and groundwater. Excessive nitrogen in coastal waters leads to a multitude of environmental problems, including hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) coastal acidification (specifically in LIS embayments and near-shore waters), harmful algal blooms, eutrophication, and habitat degradation and loss. Decreased water quality and habitat degradation has economic implications, as fish kills and reduced shellfishing capacity impacts regional recreational and commercial fishing industry. The loss of habitats like wetlands leads to diminished coastal resiliency for neighborhoods in the face of storm events.

Septic system replacements will significantly improve water quality in the Long Island Sound watershed. In both Nassau and Suffolk County, conventional cesspools and septic systems have been identified as the primary source of nitrogen pollution in the LIS watershed. Groundwater from this watershed supplies 100% of the drinking water in Long Island and failing septic systems deplete the quality of this essential resource. By reducing nitrogen loading, this program will reap benefits to the public health, ecological health and economic prosperity of Long Island Sound and the residents that live in its watershed and rely on it as a resource.

This project supports the Long Island Sound’s Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan to protect and restore Long Island Sound.

To learn more and determine your eligibility, click here.