The levels of nitrogen on Long Island are destructive to the environment, harming both our surface and ground waters. But we can turn the tide. The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) is a transformative multiyear effort to make meaningful reductions in nitrogen levels.
LINAP focuses on how best to reduce nitrogen loading to groundwater and surface water through technical, management, and regulatory/policy actions. Nitrogen is the leading cause of water quality deterioration in Long Island's estuaries. Excess nitrogen can cause toxic algal blooms that lead to low oxygen conditions, fish kills, and degraded wetlands and marine habitats. Nitrogen also contaminates the groundwater which is the sole source of Long Island's drinking water. The LINAP Fact Sheet (PDF) has been developed to provide an overview of LINAP, the sources of nitrogen and the impacts on the environment.
LINAP is a collaboration between the DEC, the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC), and Suffolk and Nassau counties, with input from multiple partners and stakeholders.
After 10-years of success, LINAP has been absorbed by the Long Island Watershed Program, which takes a more holistic, watershed level approach to protecting Long Island’s water resources.
