Suffolk County is doubling down on protecting its most vital resource, clean water.

The U.S. Geological Survey will monitor five rivers across the county for potential toxins from stormwater runoff. They include the Connetquot, Peconic, Nissequogue and Carlls rivers, as well as Sampawams Creek.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said this is just a first step.

“Some of their findings are going to call us to action," Romaine said. "We need to clean our streams, our creeks, and eventually our bay. And we do that by getting rid of pollutants, and it’s not going to be easy.”

Funding comes from Suffolk’s Water Quality Restoration Act, passed by the legislature last November. Kevin McCaffrey is the legislature’s presiding officer.

Sabrina Garone / WSHU

"Unless we protect those streams

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