Elevated bacteria levels close two Massapequa, six Suffolk beaches

Two Nassau beaches — both in Massapequa — and six in Suffolk are closed because elevated levels of bacteria were detected, the county health departments said Thursday.

In Suffolk, Islip Beach in Islip was added to the closed list Thursday.

Sound Beach Property Owners Association East and Sound Beach Property Owners Association West in Sound Beach, Beech Road Beach in Rocky Point, Broadway Beach in Rocky Point, Terraces on the Sound in Rocky Point all remain closed, the Suffolk County Health Department said in statement.

One Nassau shutdown is new: Biltmore Beach Club. And one closure continues: Philip Healey Beach.

The beaches will not reopen until tests show bacteria levels have fallen to "acceptable limits," the Nassau health department said in a statement.

Stormwater runoff — which occurs when the ground cannot absorb all the rain that falls — can carry effluents from leaking cesspools and septic systems, pesticides, fertilizers, oil and various kinds of debris into sewers, and can lead to increased bacteria levels.

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

To speak with a Nassau health department representative weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., call 516-227-9717.

For up-to-date recorded information on Nassau County beach openings and closings, call 516-227-9700.

For the latest information on affected Suffolk County beaches, call the Bathing Beach HOTLINE at 631-852-5822 or contact the Department's Office of Ecology at 631-852-5760 during normal business hours. http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/HealthServices/EnvironmentalQuality/Ecology/BeachMonitoringProgram.aspx