High bacterial levels prompt closing of Jacob Riis Park for swimming
A girl runs along the shoreline at Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways back on July 22, 2021. Credit: Linda Rosier
Swimming at Jacob Riis Park in Queens was closed indefinitely due to excessive bacteria in the water, the National Park Service said Thursday.
Bacterial levels in water samples taken from this body of water exceed local, state and National Park Service standards for recreational activity. Due to the increased human health risk, the NPS has closed the beach to swimming until further notice," according to a news release from the service, which runs the beach.
Jacob Riis — named after the muckraking journalist — is on the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest part of the Rockaway Peninsula.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
