Freeport’s Operation SPLASH enters its fourth decade

We’re always trying to let people know that most trash comes from the streets, goes through the storm drain, and ends up on the bay”

Rob Weltner, President, Operation SPLASH

For just over three decades, members of Freeport’s Operation Stop Polluting, Littering, and Save Harbors (S.P.L.A.S.H) have made it their mission to clean up the waters of Long Island, particularly on the South Shore.

Of all the ecological activism in which SPLASH has engaged, the 3 million pounds of trash removal is what makes SPLASH President Rob Weltner the most proud.

SPLASH volunteers have made Weltner not only proud, but impressed, by “getting bay parks (and the) sewage treatment plant updated and running at peak performance,” Weltner said.

SPLASH volunteers have also contributed to the appearance of more than 4,000 storm drain stencils and decals in Nassau County. Applied to curbs or streets at the site of storm drains, the designs can be painted directly on the curb with paint and stencils, or installed as pre-stamped grates, medallions, or stamped concrete near storm drains. These designs tell people what happens to stormwater when it becomes polluted, and, hopefully, encourages them to join Operation SPLASH’s mission of improving water quality. The aim is to show those who are unaware just how serious shoreline pollution truly is, and how much correction is needed to make it better.

Like other organizations, Operation SPLASH was impacted by the ongoing pandemic. “We were slowed, but not stopped,” said Weltner. “We had to reduce our crew size because of COVID, but found that smaller crews made everyone more comfortable. We kept our masks on until we got out to the boats, at which point we were able to take our masks off.”

SPLASH has also created the Clean Marina Program, an “incentive-based, voluntary program that encourages marina owners and boaters to follow environmentally sound procedures,” according to OperationSplash.com. The purpose of Clean Marina is to educate boaters on how to enjoy the waters of the South Shore while adhering to water safety guidelines.

Major storm drains constitute another focus of Operation SPLASH’s attention. In 2010, the organization designed a device that, according to the SPLASH website, could “capture and remove solid debris from entering the bay from the storm drain system along the Meadowbrook Parkway that begins in Westbury.” Known to Splashers as the debris trap, Weltner and others created the device from discarded floating docks. Every year since, it has stopped more than 200 barrels of street garbage from entering the South Shore bays. The trapped trash is subsequently removed and disposed of properly by the volunteers at Operation SPLASH. Most of the trash comes from land-related activities, goes through the underground pipes where the water supply originates, and then makes its way to the ocean.

Operation SPLASH has developed a corollary program known as “Adopt a Storm Drain.” This program “engages school classes with a ten month program that includes lessons in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math),” according to the website The students who take part in this program put a stenciled grate over a street-level storm drain, and collect data about the debris that is caught by the stencil throughout the school year. The data is then sent back to SPLASH for further analysis, and is used to “assist in public works planning for communities.”

As far as the future of SPLASH is concerned, Weltner hopes that his organization is able to convince more and more people of what needs to be done in order to improve water quality on the South Shore. “We’re always trying to let people know that most trash comes from the streets, goes through the storm drain, and ends up on the bay,” said Weltner. “We’ve been trying to put ourselves out of business for 31 years, and we’re hoping that people will help us do that.”