Suffolk County Government -

DOING BUSINESS

FUN & RECREATION

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

LIVING & WORKING

PUBLIC SAFETY

You are here: Home » Department » Health Services » DEQ » Office of Ecology » Topics of Interest

Office of Ecology

Water Quality Monitoring

Water quality monitoring is conducted at the more than 190 beaches in Suffolk County from May through September. Sample results are assessed on a daily basis in the context of appropriate state and federal water quality standards, to insure a safe and healthy recreational environment for beach patrons. The frequency of sampling is determined using a tiered, risk-based approach, with more testing conducted at beaches that have historically demonstrated periods of poor water quality or are potentially at risk because of their proximity to pollution sources (e.g., streams, creeks, or stormwater outfalls), or are located on poorly flushed embayments, lakes or ponds. Sampling at these beaches is typically performed at least 1 - 2 times weekly. Lower risk beaches (such as those on the Atlantic Ocean) are typically sampled on a less frequent basis. Additional sampling is performed whenever water quality criteria are exceeded or in response to events that may adversely impact water quality, e.g., heavy rainfall, pollutant discharges, or floatable wash-ups.

To evaluate beach water quality, levels of "indicator organisms" are used as an estimate of fecal contamination. Indicator organisms are microbes that are found in the intestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded animals, and although harmless, may indicate when detected that fecal contamination and, possibly, disease causing organisms are present. In accordance with recommendations from the USEPA and with requirements of the New York State Sanitary Code for Bathing Beaches (Subpart 6-2), Suffolk County uses Enterococci as an indicator organism for marine beaches and E.coli as an indicator organism for freshwater beaches. For additional information. click on the Frequently Asked Questions link.
Return to the top of the page

Advisory/Closure and Re-opening Procedures

Subpart 6-2 of the New York State Sanitary Code regulating bathing beaches includes water quality criteria for individual samples as well as for the log-average (geometric mean) of all samples collected in a 30-day period. Single-sample limits are 104 colony forming units per 100 ml of sample (104 cfu/100 ml) for Enterococci (marine beaches only) and 235 cfu/100 ml for E.coli (freshwater beaches). For 30-day geometric means, limits are 35 cfu/100 ml for Enterococci and 126 cfu/100 ml for E.coli.

Due to the time required to complete the Enterococci and E.coli tests (24-hours), assessments of water quality and beach status aren’t possible until the day following sample collection. Because results for the previous day’s samples are not necessarily indicative of current water quality conditions, other beach-specific factors are also considered when assessing sample results. These include knowledge of potential sources of contamination in the beach watershed, historic water quality data, past criteria exceedances, weather, area flushing characteristics, and other recent sample results.

Beach Closures

If results for a given sample exceed the single-sample limit, an assessment of the result in the context of other beach-specific factors is conducted. If after the assessment there is reason to doubt the validity of the result, and no known sources of contamination to the beach exist, the beach is re-sampled as soon as possible to verify the result. Water quality at this beach will be rated as "moderate", indicating that the potential exists for the presence of bacterial contamination.

If results for the second sample also exceed the criteria, and consideration of other factors support the decision, the beach is closed to bathing. Water quality is rated as "poor".

If at any time the 30-day geometric mean criterion is exceeded, and consideration of other factors support the decision, the affected beach is closed to bathing. Water quality is rated as "poor".

Beach Advisories

Under certain conditions, such as during or in anticipation of unusually heavy rainfall, or other events or situations that can pose a risk to public health, advisories recommending against bathing and other water contact are issued.

In these cases, sampling of the affected beaches to assess water quality conditions is initiated as soon as possible. Depending on results of the sampling, the advisory is either rescinded or the beach closed.

Re-opening Beaches

Whenever beach closures or advisories are issued, daily sampling of affected beaches for the appropriate indicator organism is initiated as soon as possible and continued until such time as the beach can be re-opened or the advisory lifted.

In all cases, including beach closures, advisories, and re-openings, public notification is immediately posted on this website (see the Advisories and Closures page) and a press release issued through the Office of the Commissioner of the Department of Health Services. Additionally, a telephone Beach Hotline (631-852-5822) message is routinely updated to reflect any changes in beach status.

Potential Sources of Contamination

In Suffolk County waters, pollutants can be introduced to bathing areas from a variety of sources, including

stormwater runoff
resident waterfowl populations
failing or poorly operating septic systems
sewage spills
boats
floatable debris

Storm water runoff is the predominant mechanism involved in water quality criteria exceedances at coastal beaches in Suffolk County. A number of beaches on the county's north shore are located within harbors and semi-enclosed embayments where surface runoff and its effect on water quality are exacerbated by the surrounding hilly landscape and limited tidal flushing. On the south shore mainland, many beaches are located adjacent to streams and canals that drain the upland watershed, and are directly affected by bacteria-laden stormwater during rain events.

At freshwater lake beaches, resident waterfowl and other wildlife are principal sources of bacterial contaminants, although at lakes located in developed areas, inputs from stormwater runoff and area septic systems may also be significant.

Risks Associated With Swimming in Polluted Water

According to the EPA, exposure to disease-causing organisms in polluted recreational waters is primarily through contact with fecal contamination during swimming, including through accidental ingestion. The most frequent illness caused by this exposure is gastroenteritis, a term used to describe a variety of afflictions affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of gastroenteritis include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and fever. Illnesses of the upper respiratory tract, and minor skin, eye, ear, nose and throat infections have also been associated with pathogen exposures. Individuals with compromised immune systems and children, the latter because of their level of activity and opportunities for ingestion of water, are most vulnerable to these illnesses.

In Suffolk County, swimming related illnesses are rare, primarily because our bathing beaches are relatively unpolluted and are extensively monitored. Bacterial contaminants in this area are mainly introduced to surface waters through stormwater runoff and from area waterfowl. While these sources may still contain disease-producing organisms, they don't carry the level of pathogenicity (the ability to cause disease) that is typical of surface waters in more heavily developed urban areas.

For more information on recreational water illnesses, visit the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Healthy Swimming web site.

Return to the top of the page

BEACH Act

The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) was passed in 2000 as an amendment to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, in an effort to improve water quality testing at beaches, and to better inform the public of water quality problems. The Act required the adoption of new or revised water quality criteria that utilized Enterococci as a pathogen indicator for marine waters and either Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Enterococci as an indicator for freshwaters.

To accomplish its goals, the BEACH Act authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award grants to states and localities to assist in the development of their beach monitoring programs. To be eligible for funding, participants were required to develop a Bathing Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Workplan that addresses procedures used to assess beach water quality, and to notify the public in cases where water quality criteria were exceeded. Each monitoring plan was to include details pertaining to beach locations, sample collection and analysis procedures, risk assessments, and procedures for issuing advisories and closures.

BEACH Act grant funding obtained by the Office of Ecology has allowed the hiring of additional personnel, and the purchase of monitoring equipment and supplies that have facilitated the expansion of the county’s bathing beach program. As a result, water quality monitoring in Suffolk County has increased from a total of 444 samples collected at 71 beaches in 2002, to 4,160 samples collected at 184 beaches in 2006. For additional information. click on the Frequently Asked Questions link.

Return to the top of the page

Floatable Wash-ups

Strandings of floatable marine debris on Suffolk County shorelines, particularly on south shore ocean beaches in the western portion of the county, have been an occasional occurrence for many years. Floatables consist of a variety of materials that float on or just below the water surface, including numerous plastics (bottles, cups, bags, caps, etc.), pieces of Styrofoam, cigarette filters, paper, aluminum foil, wood, and tar balls. Medically related items such as syringes generally make up a very small percentage of floatables and may, in fact, have upland sources or are left by beach goers.

Studies have shown that the majority of floatable material that impacts Suffolk's beaches has its origin in the New York Metropolitan area through combined sewer overflows (CSOs), storm drains, and solid waste handling/transfer facilities. At Long Island Sound and other north shore beaches, CSOs from cities across the sound may also be sources of marine debris. Other sources include trash from ships, recreational boaters, fishermen, street litter, and beach users themselves.

The transport of floatable materials to our beaches depends on the magnitude and timing of rainfall events, the speed, direction, and constancy of prevailing winds, and tidal currents. During the summer, when southwest winds are the norm in this area, floatables leaving New York Harbor on an outgoing tide have been shown to strand on Long Island's south shore beaches. The extent of the problem generally diminishes with distance from the harbor.

Floatable wash-ups have an obvious aesthetic impact in addition to potentially causing the closure of bathing beaches due to safety and health concerns. During the wash-ups of 1987-88, many miles of beaches along Long Island and New Jersey were closed to bathing, costing the regional tourist economies many millions of dollars in lost revenues. Debris such as pilings and wooden timbers from bulkheads can also present a significant hazard to navigation, and plastic items are hazardous to marine life. For additional information. click on the Frequently Asked Questions link.

Return to the top of the page

Aquatic Dermatitis

Aquatic dermatitis is a skin manifestation, such as a rash or eruption, contracted by bathing in surface waters. A variety of marine and freshwater organisms can be involved, including larval forms of parasitic flatworms, sea anemone or other coelenterate larvae, larval stages of crabs, and jellyfish. The most common conditions reported in Suffolk County waters include "swimmers itch", "sea-bathers eruption" (often referred to as "sea-lice"), and jellyfish envenomations (stings). For additional information. click on the Frequently Asked Questions link.