Long Island Sound Facts

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With this hot summer reaching a peak, there is no better way to relax and get refreshed than to catch some rays at the beach and cool off in the water. Luckily, we have our many beaches  in Stamford – and the greater Long Island Sound – to thank for these fun summer getaways. Countless visitors flock to these soft sandy beaches every day.

So many of us cherish the opportunity to swim, boat, fish, and frolic in the waters of Long Island Sound, but there are some key facts that we may be missing out on. The waves are literally overflowing with resources and information that not many people know about.

To keep you up-to-date on your beloved beach getaways, here are some fun facts about Long Island Sound:

  • Long Island Sound is a tidal estuary, which is an body of water consisting of both fresh and salt water
    • 90% of the freshwater comes from three main rivers in Connecticut: the Housatonic, the Thames, and the Connecticut rivers
    • The saltwater flows in from the Atlantic Ocean
  • The total area of the Sound is ~1,300 square miles
  • LIS stretches from New York City to southern Westchester County, CT, and the northern shores of Long Island
  • The coastline is 600 miles long
  • The Sound is roughly 21 miles wide at the widest point, and 113 miles long
  • Waters reach between 60- to a whopping 350-feet deep at a channel known as “the Race”
    • The average depth is 63-feet in the center of the Sound
  • There is an estimated 18 trillion gallons of water in the Sound (enough to supply NYC with water for 33 years!)
  • The Sound has two high tides and two low tides every day
  • At least 50 different species utilize this special estuary for their annual spawning grounds
  • There are approximately 120 species of finfish living in the Sound throughout the year
  • As much as 95% of the Connecticut population lives within 50 miles of Long Island Sound
  • 30,000-50,000 boats are estimated to be out on the Sound on any given summer days – that’s a lot of people!