Northport Harbor water quality topic of forum

The Northport Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee will hold a community forum on May 26 to offer an update on its progress and plans for the harbor’s future.

The event will include a presentation by Chris Gobler, associate professor in the school of marine and atmospheric sciences at Stony Brook University, about water quality in Northport Harbor and possible solutions to address the issues there.

Concentrations of nitrogen are too high in Northport Harbor, leading to seasonal blooms of harmful algae, known as “red tide.” Environmental advocates maintain that effluent from the village’s sewage treatment plant has caused much of the problem; the village argues that cesspools from area homes, coupled with runoff from fertilized lawns and other sources, are largely to blame.

The forum, sponsored by the Town of Huntington and the advocacy groups Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment and Save Our Harbors, will be held at Huntington Town Hall from 7 to 9 p.m.