Unified Water Study

Unified Water Study: Long Island Sound Embayment Research

Huntington-Northport Bay Complex

Background

The Unified Water Study: Long Island Sound Embayment Research (UWS) is a water quality monitoring protocol designed to be used by many different groups on Long Island Sound in a coordinated effort to collect comparable data on the health of our bays and harbors. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) Marine Program is one of the monitoring groups implementing this study. 

The Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative initiated this Sound-wide study after creating the first Long Island Sound Report Card in 2015 and finding a scarcity of comparable data for our bays and harbors. Save the Sound was selected to design and coordinate the study, working in collaboration with science advisors, other monitoring groups, and regulatory agencies (EPA, CTDEEP, NYSDEC, NYCDEP, NEIWPCC-IEC).

The resulting Unified Water Study (UWS) is designed to measure human impact on, and the relative health of, the bays and harbors of Long Island Sound. The findings will further our understanding of the Sound and inform and support our actions to preserve and protect it.

UWS measures dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, temperature, salinity, macrophytes and water clarity.

In the Huntington-Northport Bay Complex CCE also measures continuous dissolved oxygen, qualitative and quantitative macrophytes, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total dissolved nitrogen, and orthophosphate using a combination of data loggers, camera surveys, and water sampling.

Monitoring in the Huntington-Northport Bay Complex is made possible by the The United States Environmental Protection Agency – Long Island Sound Study, Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative, New York Community Bank Foundation, and the Jeniam Foundation.

UWS station locations selected (25) for inclusion in the Monitoring Program for the Huntington-Northport Bay Complex

For more information on the Unified Water Study including available data please see the program homepage.

Get Involved

Thank you for your interest in our annual water quality monitoring program. By participating in this educational experience you will help us collect data and acquire biological information on the health of our bays and harbors. This data will be used by Save the Sound to create the first Long Island Sound Report Card for the Huntington-Northport Bay Complex.

If you participate in this educational experience you will be helping to collect data on various water quality parameters at sunrise from May through October (there will be 4 events per month). Participants can attend as many or as few events as they choose, however, due to limited space on our field vessel, we will only be accepting 2 participants per event on a first come first served basis. The Field Coordinator will be present to oversee implementation of monitoring protocols, however, it is required that you take the time to follow the instructions below to participate.

All participants MUST:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Complete the brief  Volunteer Application Form Online

Once the Volunteer Application Form is complete you will be contacted (through the email provided) to complete the following required paperwork:

• Risk Waiver
• Code of Conduct/Volunteer Agreement Form
• Photograph Use Permission Slip

Submit all paperwork to the Field Coordinator prior to the monitoring event.

• Please email completed signed paperwork to cs424@cornell.edu
• Please mail hard copies to: Carolyn Sukowski, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, PO Box 554, Huntington, NY 11743.
• OR paperwork can be completed at our office: Coindre Hall, 101 Browns Road, Huntington, NY 11743 (please contact  cs424@cornell.edu to schedule a time).
• Two weeks prior to the next upcoming monitoring event you will be emailed a registration link to sign up. Space is limited, so volunteer spots will be provided on a first come first serve basis. If there is space available you will be contacted by the Friday before the next monitoring week. You will not be contacted otherwise.

Monitoring occurs about every other week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You will receive the full schedule and paperwork forms after completing the  Volunteer Application Form Online.

Location

Parking available on street or at Mill Dam Park

Last updated March 3, 2020