For seven exciting and educational years I have watched as the people of Connecticut and across New England take stock of the communities they live in to make clear and pragmatic plans for building a healthier and more resilient future. I have seen citizens, elected officials and professionals think beyond traditional boundaries and adapt to the changing demands of our environment. Building a resilient future means acting creatively and working together. This is exactly what EPA, the state of Connecticut and its communities have achieved during my time as regional administrator of EPA’s New England office to ensure Connecticut’s environment has a healthy future.

Connecticut approached the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy with just this kind of foresight. These storms damaged infrastructure, demolished homes and businesses and disrupted power. The intense recoveries involved smart-growth solutions that considered climate change as a given, helping prepare Connecticut for a future that is certain to involve severe storms.

Connecticut’s efforts to consider the future as it makes environmental decisions are key to its accomplishments. These efforts are driven by the passion of its residents for protecting the environment. The state has demanded creative solutions for the health of Long Island Sound, the iconic stretch of coastline and massive watershed in New England and New York. Long Island Sound is a critical environmental resource in Connecticut. But it is also a huge economic driver, bringing tens of billions of dollars into the region.

This year, I signed off on rules that will allow marine traffic to continue to safely navigate the sound in an environmentally responsible way. The rules designated three small sites in Long Island Sound where sediment dredged from harbors and navigation channels can be placed without causing long-term impacts to the environment. These rules will help maintain conditions for safe navigation for marine commerce and recreation, and for military and public safety operations. The site designations were completed after years of public dialogue and intensive scientific study, and after many modifications based on research and public feedback.

Protecting the health of the Sound is complex and relies on strong partnerships throughout the watershed. Among other challenges, the Sound is faced with excess nitrogen pollution, which has long been linked to low levels of dissolved oxygen, or hypoxia, resulting in conditions harmful to fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life. The Long Island Sound Study, one of EPA’s most successful and longstanding National Estuary Programs, addresses this and other challenges by working to restore water quality as well as fish and wildlife habitat, and sustaining this “estuary of national significance.”

Over the past 15 years we have seen tremendous progress in restoring the Sound. The amount of nitrogen coming from sewage treatment plants is down over 60 percent and the average area of hypoxia also dropped. More than a million gallons of boat sewage are kept out of the water each year by a “No Discharge Zone” in Long Island Sound. The area of eelgrass beds has increased by a third. Since 1998 we have seen the restoration of 1,650 acres of habitat, and the reopening of 317 miles of river and streams to fish passage.

We should be proud of our successes. I am so proud to have partnered with EPA’s office in New York and with states environmental leaders in Connecticut and New York to develop a nitrogen reduction strategy for the Sound. Our strategy applies thresholds for nitrogen pollution in the wide variety of ecosystems.

This strategy, combined with a new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the restoration and protection of Long Island Sound, gives us a strong roadmap for a healthy watershed. We all care deeply about this body of water. Building a resilient future translates to taking strong action in our own communities.

For all that has been accomplished, the challenge ahead of us to advance a healthier more resilient Sound, in the face of accelerating climate change, is even greater. By standing together, Long Island Sound and its vast Connecticut watershed will have a thriving future for the betterment of everyone that loves New England as I do.

Curt Spalding is the Boston regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.