By Hank Russell
The Town of Shelter Island received $260,000 from New York State for Phase I of the Fresh Pond In-Waterbody Nutrient Control program, which will remove phosphorus from the water. The funding comes from the governor’s office, which gave out $225 million to 165 projects to significantly improve water quality across the state.
“Every person deserves access to clean water — which is why New York is implementing a comprehensive strategy to fund infrastructure upgrades and replacement and other generational investments that ensure the long-term protection of water bodies,” Hochul said.
According to the governor’s office, Fresh Pond — a kettle pond which is replenished by groundwater and stormwater — will experience an increase in water quality by removing phosphorus from the deep water using hypolimnetic withdrawal (removing nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the pond) and aeration (adding oxygen to the deep water without disturbing the water’s stratification), and will return the treated water back to the pond.
Town Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said the excess phosphorus in the pond causes harmful algae blooms. “Excess phosphorus is the result of decades of runoff and runoff and other natural accumulations of organic matter over a period of decades and possibly centuries,” she said. “The algae blooms negatively impact the overall health of the pond ecosystem and restrict public use of the pond.”
The program is expected to start next year, Brach-Williams said, and is scheduled to conclude by 2030. “Pond conditions will improve progressively throughout the project duration, and there will be additional positive impacts to adjacent ground water supplies and downstream estuaries,” she said, adding that the project will also benefit Menantic and Dickerson Creeks.