North Fork leaders are frustrated over a recent court decision they say could affect water quality in the Long Island Sound.

Earlier this month, a federal appeals court denied an attempt by the Town of Southold to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from allowing dredged materials from industrial Connecticut waterways to be dumped in the Sound.

Commercial fisherman Mark Phillips says he is concerned about dredged materials from industrial Connecticut bays and inlets being dumped in two new areas of the Long Island Sound, one that is a just over a mile off Fishers Island.

"The biggest thing is you don't know what the contaminants are," Phillips says.

Officials held a news conference criticizing the decision and called on the EPA to launch a new environmental impact study of the area. They say the EPA overlooked decades of possible industrial contaminants in the dredged material.

"This is just going to set everything back by putting all of this fine sediment coating, the whole sound floor with this material that shouldn't be there," says Legislator Al Krupski, who represents District 1 in Southold.

Connecticut officials say the dredging is important to its maritime economy, but the Town of Southold says it plans to fight the decision.

"This was a foolish decision - we will take every and any action possible to undo this," says Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell.

News 12 asked the EPA for comment on the judge's decision but did not receive a response as of 5 p.m. Friday.