The Coast Guard and National Weather Service are urging caution to boaters on Long Island Sound. Debris from flooding in Connecticut and other New England states is finding its way into the sound leaving floating debris fields.
“I’ve been here about four seasons now," said Matt Rothman with the Niantic Yacht Club. "And I have never had to do debris clean up like this.”
Rothman spent the better part of the last week keeping floating debris away from club members boats. Even anchoring large chunks away from their mooring field.
The students at Niantic Bay Sailing Academy have been using the debris as a learning opportunity. They've been spending time learning to navigate it on the water and cleaning up smaller chunks to protect the health of the Long Island Sound.
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“We want to keep the waters clear so people can navigate, especially when the weather gets bad, when it gets foggy," Rothman said.
The Coast Guard says there are still numerous large debris fields in Long Island Sound, and they will be offering broadcasts of impacted locations until further notice.
“(Organic debris) will probably degrade pretty fast," said Jim O’Donnell, professor of marine sciences at UConn.
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Despite expecting the organic matter to degrade, O'Donnell does have concern about plastic debris and nails from wood lingering in the sound. Also, sediment coming down from the rivers could impact underwater vegetation’s ability to get sunlight.
But there is an immediate threat to fast-moving motorboats cruising along the sound, as waterlogged wood tends to float just below the surface.
“It’s easy on a nice day like this to set your throttle open and it’s hard to see what’s nearly submerged right in front of you.” O’Donnell said.
O'Donnell warned boaters to beware of debris that could damage boats.
“I would press boaters, especially power boaters to cruise more cautiously.” O’Donnell said.
