North Hempstead wins grant to research ways to improve Manhasset Bay water quality

The Long Island Regional Economic Development Council has awarded a $125,000 grant to North Hempstead to fund research on ways to improve water quality on Manhasset Bay.

The town plans to use the money to determine the bay's biggest pollution sources and develop ways to manage that pollution.

Manhasset Bay is 4.5 miles of shoreline that is one mile wide and feeds into the Long Island Sound between Manorhaven and Kings Point.

Sarah Deonarine, executive director for the multigovernment group Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, said in a statement that the group is “extremely excited” about receiving the grant.

The committee last year released a study about the bay’s water quality that found it is mostly safe for swimming. The study, prepared by Connecticut-based environmental engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, showed that the bay has higher bacteria levels soon after rainfall. The eastern side of the bay has the highest bacteria concentration, the study stated.