High bacteria levels close swimming at 4 Suffolk County beaches, officials say
Venetian Shores Park in Lindenhurst is among four Suffolk beaches closed to swimming due to high bacteria level. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Four Suffolk County beaches are closed to swimmers because of excessive bacteria levels, according to a news release from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
The impacted beaches are Sayville Marina Park Beach, Tanner Park Beach in Copiague, Benjamin’s Beach in Bay Shore and Venetian Shores Beach in Lindenhurst.
The closures are "due to findings of bacterial levels exceeding acceptable criteria," according to the health department’s Friday announcement, which did not specify what bacteria were identified and at what levels.
Swimming at those beaches could result in ear, nose, throat and eye infections, as well as stomach issues, the department warned.
The agency added that the beaches will reopen when bacteria levels return to normal. Residents can call the county’s "Bathing Beach hotline" at 631-852-5822 to ask about the status of the beaches.
Here's the full list of current beach closings. Click here to learn why some beaches close.
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
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