What beaches in Long Island have fecal contamination?

In Suffolk County, Babylon's Tanner Park had potentially unsafe levels on 48% of testing days; Islip's Benjamin's Beach and Bayport Beach reached those levels on 45% and 28% of testing days. In Nassau, Hempstead's Hewlett Point Beach reached potentially unsafe levels on 28% of testing days.



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From the coasts of Long Island, to Buffalo, to pristine lakes in between, New York State parks abound with 67 beaches to enjoy in the summer months. Swimming is a fun and active way to experience our parks and we welcome you to enjoy our designated swim areas, while remembering swim safety.

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Key findings of Save the Sound's 2023 Long Island Sound Beach Report include: 78% of Long Island Sound beaches earned an “A” or “B” grade. That leaves 22% of Sound beaches with moderate to poor grades, from C+ and below. Three beaches received an “F” grade in 2022.

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Voted as one of the cleanest beaches near NYC, Long Beach is a pay-to-visit beach that definitely deserves a day of your time. Long Beach itself is known as the “City by the Sea” thanks to their combination of great oceanside activities as well as their gorgeous waterfront beach.

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Environment America, a national network of 30 state environmental groups, tested over 3,000 beaches across the country and found that a whopping 55% of them had fecal contamination at potentially hazardous levels.

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The good news, Save the Sound said, is that 78 percent of the beaches graded in the 2023 Report received A or B grades for water quality, based on data collected in the 2022 swimming season.

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When these animals defecate the microbes are carried out of the body on the fecal matter. Sewage spills, sewage overflows, and contaminated stormwater send microbe-containing fecal matter into rivers, lakes, and storm drains which eventually flow into the ocean.

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Some of Long Island's most visited beaches were also its cleanest, including Jones Beach, where measurements never reached potentially unsafe levels, and Robert Moses, where they did just once.

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Vibrio bacteria are naturally occurring, but are present in higher concentrations in the summer when the salt water in the Long Island Sound is warmer, and filter-feeding shellfish, like oysters, can concentrate vibrio in their flesh when it's present in the water.

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The Long Island beaches with the best water quality are on the North Fork at McCabes, Town Beach and Orient State Park in Southold. The Connecticut beaches with the best water quality are Hole In The Wall Beach in East Lyme, Esker Point Beach in Groton and Surf Club Beach in Madison.

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