Sunday, October 4, 2026
This year, local nonprofit Operation SPLASH celebrates its 36th anniversary of advocacy for marine life and stopping water pollution. The organization has removed 3.5 million pieces of debris since its inception in 1990, when it was founded by Joanne Grover in Freeport.
Operation Stop Polluting, Littering, and Save Harbors, commonly known as Operation SPLASH, focuses on maintaining clean bays and salt marshes through volunteer efforts, with its base of operations located on Freeport’s Nautical Mile. Initially, the organization’s mission was to clean up garbage. However, Robert Weltner, current president of Operation SPLASH, stated that the mission has evolved over the years.
“We used to just pick up garbage, but now we do water quality monitoring work with local municipalities on stormwater issues, as well as sewage treatment plant maintenance, upkeep, and discharge,” Weltner said.
Weltner stated via email that, after Superstorm Sandy, the organization has chosen to work with federal, state and local officials to help find solutions to protect local homes, businesses, and the South Shore Estuary. Many of those projects have been implemented, including an $890 million upgrade to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment plant and other infrastructure in the area.
In addition to having removed millions of pieces of garbage from Freeport and Nassau waters, Weltner mentioned other organizational achievements, including diverting 65 million gallons of wastewater per day from being dumped into Reynolds Channel and redirecting it to the Cedar Creek ocean outfall pipe over 20 years and helping update and connect the Jones Beach sewage plant to the Cedar Creek ocean outfall pipe in 2011.
Weltner stated that protecting Long Island’s environment has always been a challenge. He further stated that the organization overcomes these challenges by educating residents on every small step in environmental cleaning.
“Our mission is to try to educate as many Long Islanders as we can on how they can help keep trash, fertilizers, pesticides and oil from getting into our bay waters,” Weltner explained.
Scott Bochner, a long-time volunteer at Operation SPLASH for 25 years, was inspired by the organization's efforts to clean up marshes and waterways. He emphasized the importance of a single individual, noting that even one person can create a significant impact on the environment.
“It just takes one person to go and clean up an area, and with a handful of people, much more gets cleaned up,” Bochner said. “Also, people should be aware that whatever garbage goes into the street, it will rain, and it will go into the storm drains, and all of the storm drains on Long Island release into a waterway. It's not a loop system, so whatever goes on the ground, and you don't pick it up, we wind up picking up in the water.”
Bochner encouraged new volunteers to join and highlighted the satisfaction of cleaning up the surroundings at the end of the day. Moreover, he stated that Operation SPLASH is not only a cleanup organization but also an educational facility. Bochner advised the residents not to throw garbage on the ground and to protect the environment.
Those interested in joining the mission of Operation SPLASH can visit its website at www.operationsplash.org for more information.
