Save the Great South Bay to start grading ecological health of South Shore bays

An environmental group has launched a pilot program to create its first biannual report card on the ecological health of South Shore bays from Hempstead to Shinnecock.

The nonprofit Save the Great South Bay is developing protocols that collaborating water quality agencies will use to collect data in the bays, and will present the information using letter grades, said Robyn Silvestri, executive director of the nonprofit.

“The reason that we want to create a report card is because there’s so much water quality data out there, but for the everyday person, like me, it’s very hard to say, is this good? Or is this not good?” she said. “If somebody was able to translate that data and say … this area of the bay gets an A, then I know — an A is good.” 

Silvestri said the first report card is planned for 2025. The report, which is modeled after the system used by Save the Sound, will start with four to six sites and expand over time. 

Patti Wood, founder and executive director of the Port Washington-based Grassroots Environmental Education, said she likes the initiative, especially if it standardizes water monitoring.

She said, however, it's important to link the data with human activities. That is of “real value, so that people can make better choices" for the environment, she said.

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, similarly said water quality testing is welcomed, but cautioned that the study should assess trends over time.

“The study needs to be done very carefully to really assess trends and reflect a picture of accuracy about what’s happening,” she said. “A robust number of sites need to be included.”

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.