Blue-green algae has plagued the pond for a decade, but never to the extent it has in the last few years. In July 2014, when cyanobacteria bloomed anew in Georgica, masses of fish died off, and, according to some accounts, one or two deer. Within days — and at the height of the summer season — the East Hampton Town Trustees were forced to do the inconceivable: close the pond to swimming and wading, and shut down shellfishing and fishing. Photo: Priscilla Rattazzi
eastmag.co - by Christopher Walsh - July 22, 2016
JACK RUSSELL TERRIERS are not water dogs. “She just happened to go down to the pond,” says Annie Gilchrist Hall, “because we had two of our kids here sailing.” Annie and John Hall’s pet was familiar with Georgica Pond, East Hampton’s serene, 290-acre body of water — a stunning backdrop to some of the most desirable real estate on the planet. The Halls live on the pond.
It was just after Labor Day in 2012. The little dog, Rosie, frolicked in the water, then licked her paws. Almost instantly “she went into neurotoxic shock,” Hall says. “It’s so graphic: She put her four legs out straight. She was breathing, but couldn’t move.”
Aerial view overlooking landscaping on April 4, 2015 in San Diego, California. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
by Sarah Ferris and Peter Sullivan - April 25, 2016
The United States is on the verge of a national crisis that could mean the end of clean, cheap water.
Hundreds of cities and towns are at risk of sudden and severe shortages, either because available water is not safe to drink or because there simply isn’t enough of it.
The situation has grown so dire the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a major threat to national security alongside terrorism.
Retrosilience is the study of retrofitting built structures or technology to be sustainable and resilient. Retrosilient Technology is retrofitting an existing piece of technology to become more resilient. One of the Institute’s first retrosilient technology development solutions will focus on regional water quality restoration..
Peconic Institute is committed to promoting a sustainable and resilient future. It is our mission to be an International Center of Excellence that communicates information and encourages new thinking. The Institute’s desire is to enhance the local environmental, social, and economic systems by moving toward a more sustainable and resilient future.
Just weeks after blue-green algal blooms were detected in Georgica Pond, extremely high levels of the toxic rust alga Cochlodinium have emerged in Sag Harbor and East Hampton waters.
Cochlodinium first appeared on Long Island in 2004 and has been detected in local waters every summer since. According to Professor Christopher Gobler, who conducts water quality testing and is a professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, densities above 500 cells per milliliter can be lethal to both finfish and shellfish. The Gobler Laboratory recorded Cochlodinium at densities exceeding 30,000 cells per milliliter in Sag Harbor Cove, and over 1,000 in Accabonac and Three Mile Harbors.
Established by an Act of Congress in 1947, the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission is a not-for-profit interstate agency that utilizes a variety of strategies to meet the water-related needs of our member states—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. NEIWPCC serves and assists our states by coordinating activities and forums that encourage cooperation among the states, developing resources that foster progress on water and wastewater issues, representing the region in matters of federal policy, training environmental professionals, initiating and overseeing scientific research projects, educating the public, and providing overall leadership in water management and protection.
NEIWPCC is a leader in forming strong bonds between the New England and New York State environmental agencies, and is unique in its ability to bring diverse interest groups together, create forums for collaboration, and educate with innovative products. For well over six decades, the Commission has managed interstate water conflicts by means of sound science, coordination, and adaptation.
User-Friendly Guide Reveals Safe Levels Set by Scientists, Not Regulators
Blue-green algae has plagued the pond for a decade, but never to the extent it has in the last few years. In July 2014, when cyanobacteria bloomed anew in Georgica, masses of fish died off, and, according to some accounts, one or two deer. Within days — and at the height of the summer season — the East Hampton Town Trustees were forced to do the inconceivable: close the pond to swimming and wading, and shut down shellfishing and fishing. 
13 August 2014 - By Mara Certic
