The Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program, funded by a quarterly water-quality surcharge, supports turf-to-native conversion incentives that reduce fertilizer runoff and irrigation demand on the sole-source aquifer.
The Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program (DWPP) is funded by a dedicated quarterly water surcharge authorized by countywide referendum, originally adopted in 1987 and extended multiple times. DWPP funds aquifer-protection land acquisition, sewer expansion, and water-quality programs administered by SCDHS and the Department of Economic Development and Planning. Incentive programs through partner organizations including SCWA and Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County subsidize replacement of high-input turf with native plant beds, rain gardens, and drought-tolerant ground covers, particularly in nitrogen-priority watersheds.
Turf conversion is voluntary; there are no penalties for keeping a traditional lawn, but properties with bare or unmaintained turf may still trigger town property-maintenance enforcement under local blight codes.
Suffolk County, NY
The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) enforces odd-even outdoor watering countywide. Homes with odd street numbers water on odd calendar days, even numbe...
Suffolk County, NY
Suffolk County actively promotes native Long Island plant species to protect the sole-source aquifer and Pine Barrens ecosystem. The Long Island Native Plant...
See how Suffolk County's turf replacement rebates rules stack up against other locations.
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