By Hank Russell
Due to heavy rainfall, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services has issued an advisory against bathing at 63 beaches. The advisory is based on the potential bacteria levels at these beaches exceeding New York State standards.
The beaches covered by the advisory are located in areas that are heavily influenced by stormwater runoff from the surrounding watersheds or adjacent tributaries, and because of their location in an enclosed embayment, experience limited tidal flushing.
“We will be testing the water and will be looking for enterococci, an indicator organism that tells us that there is elevated bacteria in the water,” said Health Department spokesperson Grace Kelly-McGovern. “We will be collecting samples and sending them to the lab today, as we do every day.”
The use of enterococci is part of the BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act, which requires beach regulators to develop a formal plan that addresses procedures used to assess beach water quality and to notify the public in cases where water quality criteria were exceeded, according to the Health Department’s website. Each plan includes details pertaining to beach locations, sample collection and analysis procedures, an assessment of the risk associated with swimming at the beach, and procedures for issuing advisories and closures.
Health officials recommend that bathing and other water contact be suspended in affected areas until the waters have been flushed by two successive tidal cycles, at least a 24-hour period, after the rain has ended. This advisory will be lifted on June 28 at 5 a.m., unless sampling reveals elevated levels of bacteria persisting beyond the 24-hour period.
“Bathing in bacteria-contaminated water can result in gastrointestinal illness, as well as infections of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat,” Kelly-McGovern said.
A list of the affected beaches can be found here.