Designated as an estuary of national significance by Congress in 1987, Long Island Sound is home to a diverse network of flora and fauna, and over 4 million people. It is an estuary of recreational, commercial, and socioeconomic value. The Sound is bordered by the states of Connecticut and New York and has a watershed area extending through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Quebec that encompasses over 16,000 square miles and 9 million people.

Designated as an estuary of national significance by Congress in 1987, Long Island Sound is home to a diverse network of flora and fauna and over 4 million people. It is an estuary of recreational, commercial, and socioeconomic value. The Sound is bordered by the states of Connecticut and New York and has a watershed area extending through Maine and Quebec that encompasses over 16,000 square miles and 9 million people. Over time, the Sound has been subject to the effects of increased nutrient loading as a result of urbanization and changes in land use (Latimer et al., 2014).

The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) is a not-forprofit interstate agency established by an Act of Congress in 1947 (www.neiwpcc.org).

The Interstate Environmental Commission District (IEC District) has monitored the westernmost portion of the Western Long Island Sound Basin each year since 1991. Targeted water quality surveys are completed between June and September to document the transition of waters into and out of a state of hypoxia. This collaborative program is performed in support of the National Estuary Program’s Long Island Sound Study (LISS; http://longislandsoundstudy.net/).

The Interstate Environmental Commission is the recipient of three funding awards from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to support water quality planning projects as part of Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 604(b) funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Project Description: Provide Long Island-wide MS4 stormwater management planning assistance by using a combination of workshops, presentations, site visits, workgroups and in-depth consultations as provided for by the New York State Sea Grant Long Island - MS4 Planning Program. This program is currently delivered by Eileen Keenan. Work will include assisting over 100 municipalities with planning, implementing, evaluating and documenting their stormwater programs. Also, supporting further inter-municipal stormwater programs will be a priority.

Project Description: The Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC) will perform ambient sampling during wet and dry weather along the Byram River to assess water quality of the river and the watershed. A minimum of three dry weather and three wet weather events will be sampled. A GIS-based watershed planning tool will also be implemented to:

Project Description: The Interstate Environmental Commission (IEC) will collaborate with the Croton-Kensico Watershed Intermunicipal Coalition to develop a regional stormwater map.

1. Identify a subwatershed that covers land area in at least two municipalities. Identify known and suspected outfalls, catch basins, stormwater manholes, stormwater swales and other components of the municipal storm sewer system within the Croton-Kensico Watershed.