Blue Water Task Force Warns of Bacteria at Beaches, as Volunteers Collect Record Amount of Data
The Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer science program involving three East End nature organizations, had a banner year on the East End in 2024, collecting a record 2,044 water samples to help generate a picture of the health of the waters surrounding Eastern Long Island.
Their results show that many East End locations suffer from high bacteria levels that make them unsafe for swimming.
The report highlights several areas that regularly test high, including South Beach on Lake Montauk, Sagg Pond and Sagg Main Beach in Southampton, and Windmill Beach in Sag Harbor. All three locations showed high bacteria levels in 20 percent or more of their samples.
On the East End, the Task Force is organized by three environmental organizations — the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter, Concerned Citizens of Montauk and the Peconic Baykeeper — coordinating trained volunteers to perform year-round water quality monitoring at 80 sites on the North and South forks. The groups released their findings at a press conference at Flying Point in Water Mill on June 11.
“Water test results indicate that many sites on the East End frequently experience high bacteria levels that exceed the safe health standard for swimming,” said the groups in the June 11 announcement of their findings. “This is expected in the creeks and outfalls that receive high volumes of stormwater runoff and in smaller stagnant water bodies with high populations of birds and waterfowl. However, the number of sites that show consistently high bacteria levels where people are recreating is concerning.”
While the Suffolk County Department of Health Services monitors bacteria levels at many officially designated bathing beaches throughout the county, and will close those beaches if the bacteria levels are too high, many locations popular with swimmers on the East End are not official bathing beaches.
“The water quality information generated by the Blue Water Task Force augments the data that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) provides through their seasonal beach program,” according to the Blue Water Task Force. “Sampling locations include ocean and bay beaches, estuaries, coastal ponds, and stormwater flows. Water quality samples are tested for enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria that indicates the presence of human or animal waste in the water and other pathogens that can make people sick. Results are compared to the health standard used by the county to make beach closure decisions [104 colony forming units of enterococcus per a 100-milliliter sample (104 cfu/100mL)].
“Protecting public health in our community is a driving force behind our program. We work hard year-round to share water quality results as quickly as possible so residents and visitors can make safe choices in and on the water,” said Rebecca Holloway, Manager of Environmental Advocacy at Concerned Citizens of Montauk. “Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the risks of poor water quality, which makes this work all the more urgent and meaningful to us. We want to remind the community that human and environmental health must go hand in hand. Our hope is that our data can inform remediation action, in collaboration with the municipalities where we live and work.”
The Task Force has also received permission from the Southampton Trustees to post water quality signs at Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond, two sites that frequently show high bacteria levels. These signs feature QR codes that link directly to Blue Water Task Force results, giving beachgoers real-time info to help them decide when and where it’s safe to get in the water.
“This win was made possible thanks to the support and collaboration of the Southampton Trustees and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, proving how community science and local leadership can drive real change on the ground,” said Jaime LeDuc, Blue Water Task Force Manager for the Surfrider Foundation.
Some of the summer 2024 interns sampling, by Surfrider Foundation and CCOM.
The high rates of bacteria at certain sampling sites could be attributed to a few different factors. Stormwater runoff carries pollutants like car oil and dust, animal waste, lawn fertilizers, and pesticides into our coastal bays, ponds, and oceans. Heavy rain can also lead to flooding and cause groundwater levels to rise, which is particularly problematic on the East End, where most residences and businesses are serviced by cesspools and septic systems instead of sewers. These systems need adequate space between their drainfields and the groundwater to properly treat wastewater and filter out bacteria and pathogens. When heavy rain occurs, untreated wastewater can leach out of cesspools and septic systems, polluting both ground and surface waters.
The Blue Water Task Force urges people to take precautions and avoid swimming after heavy rain events for 24 to 48 hours, especially in ponds and enclosed bays, creeks, and harbors and keep their children and pets out of streams, creeks, and other obvious sources of stormwater runoff at the beach. Do not enter the water where there is a warning sign for high bacteria levels or a harmful algal bloom advisory, and rinse with fresh water before leaving the beach.
“Clean water is the foundation of life on the East End. Whether it’s for swimming, fishing or shellfishing, healthy waterways are essential,” said Alexa Annunziata, Director of Outreach for Peconic Baykeeper. “The data generated by the Blue Water Task Force Program empowers residents to make informed decisions about where they recreate while also educating them on overarching issues that impact local water bodies.”
The groups are encouraging community members to check water quality results posted online before they head to the beach. All current data are available here: bwtf.surfrider.org. You can also visit their Swim Guide online or download Swim Guide from the app store to access water quality information on your iPhone or Android at the beach.
The 2024 report can be found on the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter’s website here.
In 2024, with support from the New York Community Trust, the Blue Water Task Force also completed a Quality Assurance Project Plan, a formal guide “to ensure consistency and scientific rigor across all aspects of the monitoring program, defining standardized sampling and laboratory procedures, quality assurance protocols, and training requirements to be followed by all three partner organizations.”
The standards are designed “to ensure the production of high-quality, credible data that can inform decision-making by a wide range of users,” according to the Task Force. The document is available on the Blue Water Task Force website.
