Some Characteristics Of Long Island Sound

Physical

• An estuary where fresh and saltwater meet and mix
• 90% of its freshwater from the Connecticut, Thames and Housatonic Rivers
• 110 miles long; 600 miles of coastline
• 21 miles at its widest north-south dimension
• 1,300 square miles (787,000 acres); 0.04% of the world's coastal ocean
• Surface temperatures 32°F to 73°F
• Salinity ranges from 23 ppt to 35 ppt; saltier to the east
• Currents strongest at eastern end
• Tides greatest at western end; two high and low tides each day

Political and Social

• Five million people living within fifteen miles of its coast
• 14.6 million people within its drainage basin
• Two states bordering the Sound
• Five states contributing to the Sound's watershed (CT, MA, NH, NY, VT)
• Two regions of the US Environmental Protection Agency
• Two divisions of the Army Corps of Engineers
• Three New York counties and 24 Connecticut towns with coastlines on the Sound

Recreational and Commercial

• 44 sewage treatment plants discharging directly into the Sound
• 248 miles of beaches, 95 miles publicly owned
• 200,000 boats registered Sound-wide
• 20,000 boat slips in marinas
• Many important animals spend part of their lives in the Sound
• 750,000 recreational fishermen
• Sport fisheries worth $130 million yearly to economy
• Commercial fisheries worth $53 million yearly to economy
• 6 million people visit state-owned Long Island Sound beaches every year

Conclusion

• Total value of $5.53 billion yearly added to the economy by the Sound

From: Long Island Sound Study Fact Sheet #4 "The LISS: A Profile"