State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr., (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today applauds the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in releasing a draft pollution prevention strategy for pesticide use on Long Island. The proposed Pesticide Pollution Prevention (P2) Strategy proposes five actions to reduce threats to water resources from existing pesticide-related sources and prevent potential contamination from new sources. Assemblyman Thiele urges those concerned with the health of Long Island’s groundwater resources to attend the April 3rd public meeting and submit comments to the DEC. According to the DEC, the purpose of the P2 Strategy is to enhance the protection of Long Island’s groundwater and surface water resources from pesticide-related contamination and thus prevent potential adverse effects on human health while continuing to meet pest management needs of farms, residents and businesses. DEC developed the P2 Strategy in response to concerns over the detection of pesticides in the groundwater over time at various locations on Long Island. The P2 Strategy would start with a DEC pesticide assessment including an evaluation of their location, frequency and concentration on Long Island, as well as their reported use, and prioritization for potential preventive measures and available alternatives. The P2 Strategy also calls for convening a Technical Review and Advisory Committee (TRAC) by bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders involved in pest management and water quality protection on Long Island – state and local health departments and other governmental agencies, agricultural, commercial and other sectors that use pesticides, pesticide businesses, environmental groups, and academia - to partner with DEC in implementing pest management pollution prevention measures. Under the proposed P2 Strategy, DEC would work to integrate pollution prevention measures including best management practices, water quality protection and enhanced monitoring of groundwater into pest management efforts. Other key actions of the P2 Strategy include:

• Prioritizing preventive measures and implementing pollution prevention practices;
• Tracking results of these measures and assessing the need for modifications; and
• Maximizing the use of water quality monitoring for pesticides with a focus on determining trends and changes in detection levels and frequency.