What history reveals about Forge River pollution on Long Island, New York’s south shore

Abstract Fifty years ago, the Forge River and Moriches Bay, of Long Island’s south shore lagoonal system, achieved notoriety when their polluted conditions were alluded to in a report of the US President’s Science Advisory Committee (1965) . The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigated the bay throughout the 1950s, identifying duck farming as the cause of “objectionable”, “highly contaminated” conditions of these waters. Much has changed: duck farming declined; the river was dredged to remove polluted sediments, improve navigation; and barrier island inlets stabilized. Yet, the river remains seasonally eutrophic. Why? This paper reviews what occurred in the Forge River watershed. While governments aggressively curtailed the impacts of duck pollution, they failed to manage development and sewage pollution. The Forge experience indicates that watershed management is a continuing governmental responsibility as development accelerates. Otherwise, we will always be looking for that instantaneous remediation that is usually not affordable and is socially contentious.