Our Story in Pictures: Peconic Estuary Protection Committee's Journey to Make a Difference

In 2015, the Peconic Estuary Partnership initiated the creation of the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee, an intermunicipal affiliation comprised of Suffolk County, the New York State Department of Transportation, five of the  Towns within the Peconic Estuary watershed and the Villages of Greenport, North Haven, and Sag Harbor. The PEPC is envisioned to act as part of the PEP’s Local Governments Committee in the PEP Management Conference. The Committee focuses efforts on compliance with EPA’s Clean Water Act and New York State’s Phase II stormwater regulations for municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) to achieve the Goals of the Peconic Estuary Program’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and is dedicated to achieving improvements in water quality and habitats of the Peconic Estuary by leveraging the resources of municipalities and agencies within the watershed. Due to the strong connection between the PEPC and the PEP, some of the information and links on the PEPC website direct the user to webpages on the PEP website for further information. 

We recognize the Peconic Estuary as an Estuary of National Significance and a vital coastal ecosystem essential to the envrironmental and economic well-being of the people in the surrounding communities.  We are deeply concerned with the existing degradation of the Estuary due to a variety of pollutant sources including stormwater runoff, septic system discharges, agricultural and residential fertilizers, groundwater flows, illegal dumping, floatable debris and boat waste.  

The Committee aims to protect, restore and enhance the Peconic Estuary to ensure a healthy and diverse marine ecosystem while balancing and maintaining recreation and commercial uses.  As a unified group of stakeholders, the Committee believes that the future health and productivity of the Estuary requires a coordinated effort.  

The Committee members also recognize that intermunicipal cooperation is an effective and resource-efficient means to comply with EPA's Clean Water Act and New York State's Phase II Stormwater regulations for small municipal stormwater sewer systems (MS4s).  The Committee workplan outlines collaborative efforts toward improved water quality including sharing information and technical resources, coordinating regulatory and enforcement activities, jointly conducting outreach and education initiatives, and cooperating on planning and infrastrucure programs.