Sunday, June 8: The beaches are open today. Enjoy!
The water quality is fine at Westchester’s Long Island Sound beaches, and they are open for swimming today, Saturday, June 7.
Save the Sound issues these Sound Swim Alerts for Westchester every weekend and holiday throughout the summer, and, if the beaches are closed because of pollution, on weekdays as well. We will post a notice here on Green Cities Blue Waters telling you if the beaches are open, and we’ll also post it on our Facebook page and on Twitter (@savethesound).
Because stormwater is contaminated by sewage that leaks out of old, deteriorating sewers throughout the county, the Westchester County Health Department preemptively closes 10 Long Island Sound beaches each time it rains half an inch or more within 24 hours.
Those 10 are the public beaches at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck and Hudson Park in New Rochelle, as well as Beach Point Club, Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, Shore Acres and Orienta Club in Mamaroneck; Echo Bay Club, Davenport Club, and Greentree Club in New Rochelle; and Coveleigh Club in Rye. There’s more information here about why some beaches are shut down and others aren’t.
Last year, by our count, Long Island Sound beaches in Westchester County were closed for 136 beach days (the number of beaches closed multiplied by the number of days they were closed).