Nassau County warns against bathing at 13 beaches
North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington is closed Thursday because of elevated bacterial levels. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The Nassau County Department of Health issued an advisory against bathing at 13 county beaches Thursday due to elevated bacteria levels caused by stormwater runoff, officials said.
Two other beaches, one in Glen Cove and the other in Massapequa, remain closed due to health concerns.
Four beaches in Suffolk also were closed Thursday due to health concerns, the Suffolk Department of Health Services said.
The Nassau advisory was done as a precautionary measure. It follows heavy rainfall Wednesday, with officials saying that runoff "can impact bathing water quality by elevating bacteria levels, which may cause exceedances of the New York State standard for bathing water quality."
The beaches cited in the advisory are: Centre Island Sound, Soundside Beach, Stehli Beach and Ransom Beach in Bayville; Creek Club and Lattingtown Beach in Lattingtown; Laurel Hollow Beach in Laurel Hollow; North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington; Piping Rock Beach Club in Locust Valley; Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove; Theodore Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay; Sea Cliff Village Beach in Sea Cliff; and Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing. Additionally, Morgan Beach in Glen Cove and Biltmore Beach in Massapequa remain closed until further notice due to elevated bacteria levels, the health department said.
In Suffolk, East Islip Beach, West Islip Beach, Sayville Marine Park and Tanner Park in Copiague all remain closed to swimmers due to elevated bacteria levels, according to a beach guide provided by the Department of Heatlh Services.
Nassau officials said their advisory will be lifted at 7 a.m. Friday unless there is additional heavy rainfall Thursday or new water samples reveal elevated bacteria levels.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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