the nature conservancy – LIS Water Quality

Keeping the Promise on our Preserves with Upgraded Septic Systems

April 30, 2019 | By: Christianne Marguerite

Conventional septic systems were not designed to remove nitrogen from wastewater. The Nature Conservancy has invested in wastewater treatment upgrades for cleaner water on our preserves in Connecticut and New York. On Long Island, an innovative wastewater wetland and two nitrogen-reducing septic systems replace six cesspools. In Connecticut, a new tank and Geomatrix leaching system will replace an old, failing wastewater disposal system. Upgrading and modernizing septic systems is crucial to restoring healthy water quality in Long Island Sound.

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. One way we’ve kept that promise for over 65 years is by protecting critical forests, grasslands, streams and wetlands through a network of preserves. Some of the Conservancy’s well-known preserves include historic structures that support our conservation work as visitor centers, offices and housing. But many of these structures have outdated or deteriorated septic systems that put our groundwater, rivers and Long Island Sound at risk.

Conventional septic systems currently in use in many areas of Connecticut and New York were not designed to remove nitrogen from wastewater. In recent years we’ve learned that nitrogen pollution from fertilizers and wastewater is one of the leading threats to Long Island Sound. Switching to alternative wastewater treatment systems capable of reducing significantly more nitrogen is a crucial step to restoring the health of our coastal waters. With an advanced pretreatment unit and a sewage disposal field, nitrogen-reducing systems can replace outdated septic tanks. The technology is designed not only to reduce the amount of excess nitrogen discharged, but also to produce cleaner wastewater. Since some units have electrical and mechanical components, such as pumps, blowers, floats, alarms, diffusers and electronic control panels, periodic maintenance and inspections by a qualified contractor are necessary.

The maintenance and effectiveness vary by the specifics of each nitrogen-reducing system. Some units can be costlier to install than conventional systems, but for businesses and homeowners in proximity of waterways, modernizing wastewater treatment is vital for keeping pollution out of drinking water, streams and the Sound. By reducing nitrogen pollution entering the Sound’s harbors and bays we can decrease rampant algal blooms and low oxygen conditions that kill our marine life and threaten coastal economies. One Cape Cod homeowner is glad she made the switch to protect coastal waters for generations to come – and so are we! Here at The Nature Conservancy, we are proud to invest in septic system upgrades for cleaner, healthier water on some of our preserves around the Sound.

Leading Innovation in New York:

In Cold Spring Harbor, on Long Island, NY, a nitrogen-reducing wetland has replaced old cesspools at the Conservancy’s Uplands Farm Sanctuary, a 97-acre former dairy farm that now supports an office for Conservancy staff. This natural system relies on beneficial soil microbes – found in the roots of plants – to convert nitrogen from wastewater into harmless gas. The wastewater is then pumped over woodchips and routed into a shallow drainfield for further biological treatment. This innovative system was designed in partnership with the Stony Brook Center for Clean Water Technology and supported by grants from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund and Suffolk County. Along with two nitrogen-reducing septic systems also installed on the land, this project replaces six cesspools and will remove 90% of nitrogen in raw wastewater through natural processes.

Underground view of the treatment process and components.

About 70% of homeowners in Suffolk County rely on septic systems for their wastewater disposal and Long Island’s coastal waters frequently experience harmful algal blooms. The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP), identifies nitrogen pollution sources, establishes nitrogen reduction goals and outlines an implementation plan to achieve them. Suffolk County’s Reclaim Our Water Septic Improvement Program supports installation of innovative and alternative technologies approved for onsite wastewater treatment. Businessowners and homeowners throughout the county can apply for financial assistance to replace aging cesspools and septic systems with modern alternatives that reduce nitrogen pollution.

“Our goal is to design systems that are smaller, less expensive and more effective” says Chris Clapp, marine scientist at the Conservancy’s Long Island Chapter. The systems are engineered to allow partners at the Center for Clean Water Technology and the local health department to conduct constant monitoring at many points during treatment. “We can test which components are working well and how we can potentially magnify performance while eliminating elements that aren’t serving a pollution reduction function”. Because the preserve and office are open to the public, signs and information are available for visitors to learn about the systems and the importance of wastewater treatment for healthy drinking water and coastal ecosystems. The final objective is to “walk the talk” says Chris. “We have campaigned the County to allow new technologies and are asking residents to install upgrades so we felt it important to be role models and leaders by practicing what we preach.”

Keeping the Promise in Connecticut:

On the other side of the Sound, the Conservancy is currently overseeing a septic update on its Burnham Brook Preserve in East Haddam, CT. This 1,122-acre preserve protects the watershed of the Eightmile River, including 4.5 miles of the Burnham Brook and Strongs Brook. Over 180 bird species have been identified on the preserve, and there are healthy populations of many native plants and wildlife. Richard H. Goodwin, a founder of The Nature Conservancy, donated this important conservation area along with his home to the organization. “The river within the preserve provides Atlantic salmon habitat in nearly pristine condition” says David Gumbart, director of land management at the Conservancy’s CT chapter. “Updating the septic system will help protect clean water migratory fish depend on in the Eightmile River and all the way to Long Island Sound.”

The project is supported by the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and although construction is still underway, the plan is to replace the old septic tank and drywell with a new 1,000-gallon tank and distribution pipe leading to a Geomatrix leaching system. In addition to using sand, stone and filter fabric to treat the wastewater, shallow drainfield systems like Geomatrix take advantage of microbial activity in soil to reduce the amount of nitrogen entering groundwater.

https://www.geomatrixsystems.com/gst_area/GST_drawings.html

While more effective than the technology it will replace, alternative systems designed to denitrify wastewater between the septic tank and the drain field are not currently permitted for installation at single family homes in Connecticut. Every other coastal state in the east from Maine to South Carolina has a program to oversee approval and installation of alternative technologies. The Conservancy believes when properly managed and maintained, these systems are an important tool for restoring healthy water quality. That is why we are working with state and local leaders to improve access to effective technologies so residents and businesses can choose proven systems that reduce nitrogen pollution and protect healthy conditions in Connecticut’s lakes, rivers and coastal waters.

Young Environmentalist Is Inspired By Growing Up On Long Island Sound

January 23, 2019 | By: Christianne Marguerite

Zanagee Artis at Hammonasset Beach State Park © The Nature Conservancy (Christianne Marguerite)

While home on winter break from Brown University, 18-year old Zanagee Artis, Co-Founder of Zero Hour, talks about his love for Long Island Sound. He discusses how growing up on the Connecticut coastline has influenced his interest in environmental work. With the issue of nitrogen pollution harming our coastal waters, The Nature Conservancy’s Long Island Sound Program is excited to see a younger generation taking action to improve water quality.

Zanagee Artis remembers catching crabs along the shoreline with his brothers while in elementary school. They would wait quietly around the tiny holes that surrounded the rocky pier, eagerly anticipating the small crabs peeking out to see the sun. They would giggle as they tried to hurriedly close their hands around the crab before it scurried back inside the hole, making a game out of who could collect the most of these creatures. He says, “We got the crabs in buckets, but we didn’t keep them- we put them back.”

Although he didn’t know it back then, he now realizes that it was childhood experiences like these that inspired his current environmental work. Growing up just a short walk away from Hammonasset Beach State Park in Clinton, Conn., Zanagee spent most of his childhood at the beach. His family often went hiking along the park trails simply to spend time in nature, and sometimes went fishing and kayaking in Long Island Sound. Zanagee’s exploration and understanding of the coastal ecosystem and wildlife as a kid quickly turned into a passion for marine life conservation and climate justice.

“Living by the shore is something that made me more connected to the environment and gives me something that I’m fighting for.”

-Zanagee Artis, Co-Founder of Zero Hour

During high school, Zanagee was part of the National Honors Society and started a Sustainability Committee, which later grew into his school’s Green Team. In the summer between his junior and senior years, he and his friends started a youth-led movement known as Zero Hour. Zanagee is one of many young environmental leaders who are part of this call for climate action. Their mission is to center the voices of diverse youth in the conversation around climate and environmental justice. Zero Hour has partnered with many global environmental organizations and made international headlines with their Youth Climate Lobby Day, Art Festival, and Youth Climate March in July 2018. They are currently gearing up for their next large-scale climate action in Florida this July 2019.

Zanagee is now a first-year student at Brown University, planning to double-major in Political Science and Environmental Studies. Last semester, he had the opportunity to do research on plastics in Rhode Island for his undergraduate course titled “Humans, Nature, and The Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21^st Century.” Each student partners with a local community organization to complete a project for the class. Based on his interests, Zanagee was paired with a task force created by Governor Gina M. Raimondo (D-RI) to address reducing plastics in the area. His goal was to research different local, national, and international legislation about “plastic bags, plastic bottles, and plastic straws” to figure out what has been most effective and present his findings and recommendations to the task force for a future policy. The issue of single-use plastics is near and dear to his heart because he believes that not only is there “a ton of contamination in recycling,” but also that plastics are a major pollutant in our oceans and are causing great harm to our marine life and coastal ecosystems.

His words are echoed by The Nature Conservancy’s own mission- to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Conservancy’s Long Island Sound Program focuses on restoring healthy conditions in coastal rivers, harbors and bays by speeding up efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution in this renowned estuary. Like plastics, nitrogen poses serious risks to marine ecosystems and to human health. Nitrogen pollution from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, and fertilizers eventually makes its way into the Sound and triggers the rampant growth of algae that can deplete oxygen in the water, kill fish and poison the shellfish that we eat.

Harmful algal blooms are occurring more frequently as water temperatures warm. This means we must reduce more nitrogen pollution from sewage and fertilizers to maintain healthy conditions for swimming, boating and catching crabs in the Sounds coastal harbors and bays.

Together with partner organizations and local stakeholders, The Nature Conservancy is actively working to reduce nitrogen pollution in the Sound through projects that raise community awareness and build support for policies like setting pollution limits, restricting fertilizer use and investing in modern septic systems. The Nature Conservancy seeks local perspectives, including the voices of youth to help ensure that we take quick, sustainable action for cleaner water and safer beaches that young people can enjoy now and for generations to come.

“Environmentalists like Zanagee set a wonderful example of how young people can help safeguard the natural systems we rely on” director of outreach and watershed projects, Holly Drinkuth, said. “Long Island Sound inspires and sustains so many people who live here – and we can all do our part to keep it clean and healthy”.

Some of the Sound’s coastal harbors and bays have reached a tipping point – but there are solutions we can use to protect our unique way of life. Everyone can do their part to support conservation by encouraging local officials to support policies that protect our environment. Young leaders like Zanagee are stepping up and calling for greater global environmental action because they realize that we have run out of time. Together with his peers, Zanagee is empowered to dedicate his life to environmental work and inspire others to do the same. His generation has mobilized into a powerful intersectional movement for climate justice so future generations can see a better, cleaner world and we should all be following suit.