Three programs critical to supporting Save the Sound’s work to restore and protect Long Island Sound were included in the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives recently in a decisive bipartisan floor vote.
The bill reauthorized the following programs, among others, through 2031:
· Long Island Sound (LIS) Partnership, which drives collaborative efforts across the region to monitor and protect water quality, reduce nitrogen pollution stemming from sewage treatment plants and stormwater runoff, restore vital coastal habitat, and build sustainable and resilient communities. The Partnership, previously known as the Long Island Sound Study, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. One of Save the Sound’s signature programs, the Unified Water Study (UWS), is supported by the partnership; in May, the UWS will launch its 10th season of collecting water quality data in bays and harbors around the Sound.
· National Estuary Program, which requires all 28 estuaries of national significance to create a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan every 10 years. Save the Sound worked closely with the LIS Partnership and other environmental organizations in the region to develop and expand its new CCMP, which was released last June.
· Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, which requires coastal states to monitor water quality at their beaches. The data collected under the BEACH Act fuels Save the Sound’s annual Beach Grades, which evaluate water quality at 200+ public and private beaches around Long Island Sound. Save the Sound will release Beach Grades based on data gathered during the 2025 swimming season in late May.
“The overwhelming bipartisan support for the reauthorization of these critical programs demonstrates the essential role they play in the conservation and restoration of Long Island Sound,” said Denise Stranko, executive vice president of programs for Save the Sound, who leads the organization’s federal government relations team. “We thank Representative LaLota, one of the bill’s cosponsors, for his leadership throughout this process, and we are grateful for the commitment of our legislators from the Long Island Sound region who have championed this reauthorization legislation. We look forward to working with our representatives in the Senate to ensure that these programs are reauthorized.”
