Stony Brook’s Gobler Lab to Lead Comprehensive Effort to Restore Lake Ronkonkoma
Long Island’s largest freshwater lake, once a thriving resort destination and now one of its most polluted waterways, is getting long-awaited scientific help from Stony Brook University.
Suffolk County legislators Leslie Kennedy and Trish Bergin announced on October 29 that a $300,000 state grant will fund a two-year pilot program to hire a “lake keeper” for Lake Ronkonkoma. The initiative will be led by Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) under the direction of coastal ecologist Christopher Gobler, endowed chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation and distinguished professor, whose team specializes in water quality, coastal ecosystems and harmful algal bloom research.
“This is not an overnight fix,” Kennedy said at a press conference at Lake Ronkonkoma County Park. “It took 100 years for it to get where it is today, damage-wise. It’ll take at least 10 years to fix this lake.”
The new program, part of the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan administered through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Long Island Regional Planning Council, aims to coordinate monitoring, management and restoration of the 243-acre lake, which borders Smithtown, Islip and Brookhaven.
Decades of unchecked stormwater runoff, septic leaching and invasive species have left Lake Ronkonkoma with dangerously high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, fueling toxic algal blooms and choking aquatic life. Once a popular summer destination, the lake has suffered from years of environmental neglect and a lack of oversight.
That’s about to change, said Gobler, who plans to launch a comprehensive monitoring and restoration program. “By next summer, we’ll have the most rigorous monitoring program there’s ever been in the lake,” he said.
His lab will conduct a “deep dive” into the lake’s conditions, identify pollution sources and “laser focus on actionable steps” to restore water quality and recreational use. “We will be bringing 25 years of limnology and pollution source tracing experience to this project that will allow us to identify problems and to craft data-driven solutions,” said Gobler.
In addition to producing an annual State of the Lake report, the lake keeper will identify stormwater and pollution projects with local support and apply for additional grant funding to sustain long-term cleanup efforts. Gobler said his department will conduct a national search to hire the best candidate for the lake keeper role, who will work alongside Stony Brook scientists and community stakeholders.
While the project is backed by state funding, it is also the culmination of years of local advocacy. Previous attempts to create a similar position were thwarted due to lack of structure and sustainable funding. The new approach, anchored by Stony Brook University and the expertise of Gobler and his lab, is designed to ensure accountability and scientific rigor.
Gobler noted that while Long Island’s coastal waters receive significant attention, its inland lakes and ponds are often “an afterthought.” Lake Ronkonkoma, he added, deserves the same scientific focus and community investment. “There are still stones that have yet to be unturned,” he said.
— Beth Squire