Hundreds of construction workers protested at EPA meetings. The solution was a combination of controls on runoff and upgrades to sewage treatment plants to reduce nitrogen output . Protest turned to support as hardhats allied with environmentalists to lobby for construction funding. EPA reached agreement with Connecticut and New York on a plan that has already cut nitrogen discharges 25 percent. Long Island Sound is one of six Region 2 estuaries targeted under EPA's National Estuary Program .
Estuaries are unique ecosystems where rivers meet the sea and fresh water mixes with salt.
They are home to many species of fish, birds, and other wildlife and critical for the survival of others that may breed or feed there. Tidal marshes and wetlands are an integral part of estuaries. They protect water quality by filtering sediment and pollution from upstream sources, while buffering the impacts of ocean storms. Freshwater wetlands are equally important, slowing the flow of water, filtering it and giving it a chance to recharge underground water supplies, as well as functioning as enormous sponges during times of flooding. Until recently, wetlands everywhere were seen as something to be ditched and drained for farming or filled in for development.