8 Long Island Beaches Closed Due To Bacteria Levels

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County health department officials have closed eight beaches due to the finding of bacteria at levels in excess of acceptable criteria.

They include:

• On the north shore of Suffolk, closed beaches include the Sound Beach Property Owners' Association's east and west beaches; Tides Beach Property Owner's Association, and Beech Road, Broadway, and Friendship Drive beaches in Rocky Point.
• On the west end of Suffolk, Knollwood Beach Association and Huntington Beach Community Association beaches, Centerport

On the south shore of Suffolk, Bayport Beach, Bayport; Sayville Marine Park Beach, Sayville; and Corey Beach in Blue Point remain closed.

The beaches will reopen when further testing reveals that the bacteria have subsided to acceptable levels.

The closures come a day after Suffolk officials issued a warning about contact with the water of Patchogue Bay after a sewer discharge on South Ocean Avenue.

Suffolk's Commissioner of Health Dr. Gregson Pigott, said bathing in bacteria-contaminated water can result in gastrointestinal illness, as well as infections of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat.

For the latest information on affected beaches, call the Bathing Beach hotline at 631-852-5822 or contact the Department's Office of Ecology at 631-852-5760 during normal business hours.

For more information, click here. For an interactive map of beach closures/advisories, click here.