North Shore beaches close, reopen based on bacteria levels

  Several North Shore beaches in Suffolk County have been closed to bathing due to high bacteria levels, while a handful have reopened, officials said Sunday.

Bathing in bacteria-contaminated water can result in gastrointestinal illness, as well as infections of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat, according to Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gregson Pigott.

The following beaches remain closed, officials said: Tanner Park Beach in Copiague; Venetian Shores Beach in Lindenhurst; Knollwood Beach, Huntington Beach Community Association Beach, Baycrest Association Beach, and Wincoma Beach in Huntington; Fiddlers Green Association Beach in Lloyd Nek, Valley Grove Beach in Eatons Neck, Beech Road Beach in Rocky Point; Sound Beach Property Owners’ Association Beach, and Sayville Marina Park Beach. 

Reopened beaches include: Terraces on the Sound Beach in Rocky Point; Fleets Cove Beach in Huntington; Steers Beach and Asharoken Beach in Northport; and Hobart Beach and Prices Bend Beach in Eatons Neck.

Benjamin Beach in Bay Shore and the Town of Islip Ronkonkoma Beach have also since reopened, officials said.

Beaches reopen when further testing reveals that the bacteria have subsided to acceptable levels, officials said.

For the latest information on affected beaches, call the Bathing Beach Hotline at 631-852-5822 or contact the health department's Office of Ecology at 631-852-5760 during normal business hours. 

With Vera Chinese

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.com@Scraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.