Connecticut and New York officials celebrated a notable step forward for Long Island Sound on Tuesday, when the ecological nonprofit Save the Sound released its biennial water‑quality assessment. The report, based on 2025 water‑sample data, gave the three main basins – eastern, central and western – top‑tier “A” grades, reflecting the impact of billions of dollars spent on modernizing wastewater treatment and related infrastructure.
Grades improve across the Sound
The eastern and western narrows, the smaller segments surrounding Fairfield County and New York City, also showed progress. The eastern narrows earned a “B” for the second report in a row, while the western narrows moved up from an “F” to a “D,” the first positive rating since the study began in 2008.
Investments pay dividends
“It’s a remarkable success story in that the investments paid dividends, the water quality is improving,” said Peter Linderoth, Save the Sound’s director of healthy waters and lands. State and federal funding – roughly $1.2 billion in Connecticut alone over the past two decades – has targeted antiquated combined‑sewer systems that once dumped millions of gallons of untreated runoff into rivers feeding the Sound.
Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) highlighted the Clean Water Fund and the General Permit for Nitrogen Discharges as key tools that have reduced nutrient pollution from wastewater facilities. DEEP spokesman Bill Flood noted that the latest grades reflect those targeted investments.
Federal support continues
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Program also contributed, with its annual budget rising to $40 million this fiscal year from just $1 million a decade ago. While EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from Long Island, closed the agency’s dedicated Sound office in Stamford in 2025 as part of cost‑cutting, the program’s work persisted through regional offices in New York City.
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D‑CT‑4) praised the bipartisan nature of the conservation effort, noting that the current administration has not shown the same hostility toward these projects that it has displayed in other areas, such as offshore wind.
Challenges remain
Despite the upward trend, officials cautioned that climate‑driven warming and occasional combined‑sewer overflows still threaten the Sound’s health. Rising water temperatures can reduce dissolved‑oxygen levels, potentially undoing recent gains in reducing hypoxic zones – areas with low oxygen that can kill fish.
Bill Lucey, another Save the Sound spokesperson, acknowledged “ups and downs” with the current administration but emphasized that work on water‑quality improvements has continued unabated. He expressed optimism that, in the future, the Sound could support full‑scale fish and shellfish harvesting and eliminate swimming‑closure days.
Local impact
The improved grades translate to tangible benefits for Connecticut and New York residents who fish, swim, and enjoy the shoreline. Better water clarity and healthier ecosystems also support local tourism and small‑business operators that rely on a clean waterfront.
Save the Sound’s report also graded 28 Connecticut sites, with 19 receiving “A” or “B” ratings, underscoring that progress is not limited to the larger basins but extends to smaller inlets and bays that are vital to community recreation.
Officials plan to continue monitoring key indicators such as dissolved oxygen, organic carbon, phytoplankton populations and seaweed levels, ensuring that the Sound’s recovery remains on track even as climate pressures mount.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
