NFWF Grant Profile

The Group for the East End will remove and replace the current surface of a public boat ramp with permeable pavement, construct a small treatment wetland and develop public education materials about the project focused reducing nonpoint source pollution into Mattituck Inlet. The gravel based permeable tile being used at the site is new to the United States, but has been successfully used for stormwater and sewage treatment in Australia. The way it will work is stormwater will enter the ground through the pavers and then flow into an area planted with wetland plants that will provide uptake of pollutants in the water. An educational message will be written into the tiles to inform the public about their purpose. Other educational tools at the site will inform include: interpretive signs explaining what the pavers and plants do. The goal is to create a public commitment to responsible and effective environmental stewardship.