Unlike the boroughs of neighboring New York City, which gets its water from the Catskills, we Long Islanders do not derive our drinking water from water bodies on the surface, but rather from a vast groundwater system beneath our feet, making it all the more important to protect. the surface, but rather from a vast groundwater system beneath our feet, making it all the more important to protect.

One way to do so, according to the United States Geological Survey, is by limiting the use of compound chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

(Click on photos for larger versions.)

The use of pesticides to control weeds, insects, and other pests has resulted in a range of benefits, including increased food production and reduction of insect-borne disease, but also raises questions about possible adverse effects on the environment, including water quality. To read the USGS's entire report, go here.

We also must protect our recreational waterways including Northport Harbor. As is obvious to anyone who has watched the water race down Main Street straight in to the harbor knows, that, too, can be helped along by limiting chemical pesticides and fertilizers as well as curbing your pets and disposing of boat sewage responsibly. Northport Village Northport Village provides a pump-out boat service in the harbor. The Northport Harbor Pump-Out Boat monitors VHF Channel 9.