Status & Trends
Ecosystem Targets
and Supporting Indicators
Ecosystem Targets
The following ambitious, but achievable ecosystem targets have been developed to help drive progress toward attaining goals established in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan:
Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds
Clean Water and Healthy Watershed ecosystem targets track progress towards attaining the goal of improving water quality by reducing contaminant and nutrient loads from the land and the waters impacting Long Island Sound.
Extent of Hypoxia
Target: Measurably reduce the area of hypoxia in Long Island Sound from pre-2000 Dissolved Oxygen TMDL averages to increase attainment of water quality standards for dissolved oxygen by 2035, as measured by the five-year running average size of the zone. View Ecosystem Target
Nitrogen Loading
Attain wastewater treatment facility nitrogen loading at the recommended 2000 Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load allocation level by 2017 and maintain the loading cap. Have all practices and measures installed to attain the allocations for stormwater and nonpoint source inputs from the entire watershed by 2025. View Ecosystem Target
Water Clarity
Improve water clarity by 2035 to support healthy eelgrass communities and attainment of the eelgrass extent target. View Ecosystem Target
Impervious Cover
Through green infrastructure, low impact development, and stormwater disconnections, decrease by 10 percent the effective area of impervious cover in the Connecticut and New York portions of the watershed by 2035 relative to 2010 baseline. View Ecosystem Target
Riparian Buffer Extent
Increase the percent area of natural vegetation within 300 feet of any stream or lake in the Connecticut and New York portions of the Long Island Sound watershed to 75% (1,030 square miles of natural vegetation) by 2035 from 2010 baseline of 65%. View Ecosystem Target
Approved Shellfish Areas
Upgrade 5% of the acreage currently restricted or closed for shellfishing by 2035 from a 2014 baseline. View Ecosystem Target
Sediment Quality Index
Reduce the area of impaired sediment in Long Island Sound by 20% by 2035 from 2006 baseline. View Ecosystem Target
Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife
Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife ecosystem targets track progress towards attaining the goal of restoring and protecting the Sound's ecological balance in a healthy, productive, and resilient state to benefit both people and the natural environment.
Coastal Habitat Extent
Restore 350 acres of coastal habitat by 2020 and a total of 3,000 acres by 2035 from a 2014 baseline. View Ecosystem Target
Eelgrass Extent
Restore and maintain an additional 2,000 acres of eelgrass by 2035 from a 2012 baseline of 1,893. View Ecosystem Target
Tidal Wetlands Restored
Restore an additional 515 acres of tidal wetlands by 2035 from a 2014 baseline. View Ecosystem Target
River Miles Restored for Fish Passage
Open 200 additional miles of fish riverine migratory corridors in the Connecticut and New York portions of the watershed by 2035 from a 2014 baseline of 307.76 miles. View Ecosystem Target
Shellfish Harvested
Increase the harvest of oysters, clams, and scallops in the Sound through a combination of habitat management and shellfish aquaculture. View Ecosystem Target
Habitat Connectivity
Increase connectivity of coastal habitat by 2035 by restoring and/or protecting habitat patches that increase biodiversity and support migratory pathways. View Ecosystem Target
Protected Open Space
Conserve an additional 4,000 acres of Connecticut land and 3,000 acres of New York land within the Long Island Sound coastal boundary by 2035, while maintaining or increasing the total area of protected land. View Ecosystem Target
Sustainable and Resilient Communities
Sustainable and Resilient Communities ecosystem targets track progress towards attaining the goal of supporting vibrant, informed, and engaged communities that use, appreciate, and help protect Long Island Sound.
Waterfront Community Resiliency and Sustainability
All coastal municipalities have prepared plans for shoreline resiliency and infrastructure sustainability and resiliency by 2025, with all future development compliant with those plans by 2035. View Ecosystem Target
Harbor and Bay Navigability
Maintain all federal navigation channels in harbors and bays and manage dredged material in a cost effective and environmentally sound manner, consistent with a bi-state Dredged Material Management Plan, by 2035. View Ecosystem Target
Public Engagement and Knowledge
Increase the knowledge and engagement of the public in the protection and/or restoration of Long Island Sound. View Ecosystem Target
Public Beach Closures
Reduce by 50% the number of beaches reporting at least one closure day or the total number of beach-day closures per monitored beach due to water quality impairments by 2035 compared to a five-year rolling average from 2014. View Ecosystem Target
Marine Debris
Decrease the mass of marine debris in Long Island Sound by 2035, using as a metric a decrease from the 2013 baseline of 475 pounds of debris collected per mile during the fall International Coastal Cleanup. View Ecosystem Target
Public Access to Beaches and Waterways
Increase the number of public access points accessible by the public to the Sound and its rivers by at least 10 percent by 2035. View Ecosystem Target