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Connecticut’s investments in nitrogen-removal technology at sewage treatment plants have been successful. Continue reading about the critical role of nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound... Top chart (Oxygen): During the summer, some areas of the Sound experience hypoxia, which is a condition in the water where oxygen levels are not adequate to fully support desirable forms of life, including fish and lobsters. Hypoxia occurs when the nitrogen in pollution stimulates excessive growth of aquatic plants, which die and get consumed by oxygen-using bacteria. Connecticut's goal is to “eliminate the adverse impacts of hypoxia resulting from human activities." Hypoxia occurs predominantly in the western portions of the Sound. Weather greatly influences hypoxia, making year-to-year changes less important than long-term trends. Detailed reports that include maps of the extent and duration of hypoxia in Long Island Sound are produced annually by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. To reduce the nitrogen inputs that cause hypoxia, Connecticut and New York adopted a comprehensive management plan in 1994, and built upon that plan with an expanded agreement in 2002. 1. The top chart shows the area of Long Island Sound that had adequate oxygen levels throughout each year. The sampling area (2700 square kilometers) does not include the whole Sound (3400 square kilometers). The areas not sampled are shallow waters (less than two meters deep) near shore, which generally do not experience hypoxia; bays; the eastern end of the Sound, which is not expected to experience hypoxia; and an area in the far western end, which probably becomes hypoxic in most years. 2. Hypoxia was redefined by DEEP in 2011. Areas of the Sound are now considered hypoxic where a liter of water contains less than 3.0 mg of dissolved oxygen. This is the criterion that was used prior to 2004. From 2004 through 2010, DEEP used 3.5 mg/l as the determining level. The threshold was returned to the 3.0 level in 2011 to be consistent with the definitions used by New York and the Long Island Sound Study. Data for all previous years have been recalculated to show the area of the Sound having adequate oxygen under the current definition (that is, at least 3.0 mg/l). 3. The nitrogen in the bottom chart is Total Dissolved Nitrogen. |
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