This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound

by Tom Andersen

Long Island Sound is not only the most heavily used estuary in North America, it is also one of the most beautiful waterways, with picturesque seascapes and landfalls. But centuries of pollution and other abuse have gradually been killing off its marine life and have pushed the Sound to the brink of disaster. This fascinating book traces the history of the Sound and its use as a resource from the time of contact between the Native Americans and Dutch traders through the suburban sprawl of recent decades―and tells how a group of scientists and citizens has been working to save the Sound from ruin.

Tom Andersen begins by describing the dramatic events of the summer of 1987, when a condition called hypoxia (lack of dissolved oxygen in the water brought about by a combination of pollution and other factors) killed large numbers of fish and lobsters in the Sound. He discusses how scientists first documented and explained the development of hypoxia and how research and cleanup are now being carried out to restore the Sound. Interweaving current events, natural history, and human history, Andersen presents a cautionary tale of exploitation without concern for preservation.

Genres: History, Environment, Nonfiction, Science

274 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2002

Reviews

[Aykurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main caveat to this review is that I read this book for a class. That being said I actually really enjoyed reading This Find Piece of Water and I would recommend it, especially to anyone interesting in the history of Long Island Sound.

That being said the book is quite heavy on history. It begins with the geological and natural history of the Sound and is heavy on the anthropogenic history, from precolonial times to the modern day. It does give great insight on what the large cities of today looked like in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially through the Industrial Revolution. There are many stories about the early struggles to tame pollution and wastewater during this time. It goes into great detail about the major industries around the Sound and their impact on it.

It also has great detail about the rising environmentalism of the 1960s and 70s and how that manifested locally around Long Island Sound. It details the establishment of the Long Island Sound Study and the political struggle to establish guidelines for a healthy Sound. It is a fantastic snapshot of that fight and eventual establishment of Connecticut's Total Maximum Daily Load program for nitrogen buildup in the Sound.

I think the two main negatives I had with This Fine Piece of Water was the presentation of scientific facts and unfortunately, the dated feel of the book. However, the nature of this book made these two gripes of mine pretty much unavoidable. The science is presented very plainly, which in a book made to educate and make people aware of an environmental issue, really isn't a problem. This is certainly not a textbook.

Secondly, TFPoW was published in 2002, and that is extremely evident. There is hardly any discussion about global warming and sea level rise to be found here, mostly due to those topics still being in their infancy at the time of publication.

I think that This Fine Piece of Water will serve you best as a presentation of the anthropogenic history of Long Island Sound and as a snapshot of efforts that went into establishing environmental protection of the Sound itself.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of Long Island Sound from an environmental perspective. I always remembered hearing about hypoxia and lobster die-offs in the late ‘90s, and people always acting like the Sound was a sewer. This gives a lot more context and history to the Sound— I had no idea that historically, it was incredibly productive for oysters and lobsters. It was fascinating to read of how productive some of the oyster beds once were.

I honestly never thought I’d read about sewage treatment with such rapt attention. It was a little horrifying to read about just how bad NYC’s sewage issues were before sewage treatment was a thing. That just isn’t something I’d given much thought to before but sewage and sewage treatment has a lot to do with the health of the Sound. The amount of nitrogen that was making its way into the water is pretty astounding.

This book was published 20 years ago now so I’d be interested in an expanded version that discusses improvements and setbacks from then to now. Save the Sound releases a “report card” every couple years or so that I always like to refer people to whenever I hear someone say that the Sound is dirty and disgusting. Except for the extreme western end of the Sound, it seems to get better or at least not get much worse.

Books like this are so important, as are organizations like Save the Sound and the Long Island Sound Study, to get people to realize that the Sound is really unique, beautiful, and full of biodiversity. Even though it hasn’t always been treated with respect (and the book thoroughly explores that), it’s not too late to reverse some of that damage. I think when people denigrate the Sound, it can lead to an overall attitude of “who cares, it’s dirty and polluted anyway”, and the last thing we need is people completely apathetic to the health of the Sound.

“The restoration of an ecosystem is a process rather than an achievement...we must continue on, to make sure that we establish a way of life that treats the Sound as part of ourselves rather than merely as a commodity for us to use.”

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written, comprehensive account of the history of Long Island Sound. Living in Connecticut, I was amazed at how little I knew about the estuary closest to my home. This really opens up your eyes to the severity of environmental degradation in your local watershed. Taking care of our waterways is not only important, but essential to our survival in the future. I highly recommend this one to anybody living near LIS, although the problems presented are applicable to other waterways across the country as well.

[Lauren Tamraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough history of the Long Island Sound from ecological, business, and resident points of view. A great resource.

[Ginny Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great ecological history of a once richly diverse area.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome if you are a marine biologist or historian; otherwise you may not want to go there.

[Charles Barthold]

I learned a lot about a body of water I've spent most of my life on. Great read for those who use Long Island Sound.

[David L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally well-written easy-to-read account of the state of Long Island Sound, with substantial history. Often too much detail dogs the progress of the book -but at least it does include the research.

I agree with a comment that it’s an “old-fashioned” feeling book -the visuals are awful and I urgently needed a good map to remind me of the locations of rivers and towns.