The Town takes great pride in its Great South Bay and has put numerous measures in place to protect it from pollution, erosion, and other natural disasters. The town has many programs to protect Great South Bay. The Town has been a very active participant in the South Shore Estuary Reserve Program for over 30 years. The Comprehensive plan has just been updated. Projects have included watershed plans, wetland restoration, and storm water treatment wetlands and the installation a litter capturing device on some of the towns’ watershed. The Town operates a comprehensive Bay Management Program and developed and maintains a comprehensive storm water management program. Briefly, this program incorporates a multi- faceted approach to reduce pollution from entering surface waters and the Great South Bay and includes the following components:
- Public education and participation- examples include a storm drain stenciling program where volunteers affix placards to street drains with a message informing the reader not to dump deleterious substances and that the drain leads to the Great South Bay.
- Illicit Discharge Program- example is a yearly illicit discharge survey of a segment of Babylon’s surfaces waters.
- Construction and post construction requirements for development- requirements for active construction sites include incorporating erosion control into construction sites (use of a silt screen and stabilized construction entrance). For post construction sites, requirements include incorporating storm water control into site design to maintain storm water on site. Larger and more sensitive sites would require preparation of a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. (SWPPP)
- Pollution protection and good housekeeping of town facilitates- examples include the construction of a storm water wetland at Ketchams Creek and Babylon’s road drainage improvement program.
More information about Babylon’s stormwater program can be found online, Stormwater Program, or by calling the Town's Department of Environmental Control at (631) 422-7670.