Bacteria closes Nassau, Suffolk beaches

Concerns over bacteria closed beaches in Nassau and Suffolk, officials said Friday.

Steers Beach in Northport was closed to swimming because of elevated bacteria levels, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services said.

In Nassau, health officials closed Piping Rock Beach Club in Lattingtown and North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington on Friday as a precautionary measure, citing recent heavy rains. Stormwater runoff can sweep bacteria and pathogens into local streams and bays, causing bacterial levels to spike.

Two other Nassau beaches -- Laurel Hollow Beach in Laurel Hollow and The Creek Club in Locust Valley -- remain closed to bathing due to elevated bacterial levels, according to the health department.

Suffolk's health department also said Fleets Cove in Huntington and the Huntington Beach Community Association beach in Centerport are now open to swimming. Recent samples collected at each beach show water quality to be within acceptable levels for swimming, the department said.

In Suffolk, information on beach closings is available by calling the health department's Bathing Beach hotline, 631-852-5822, or by calling the department's Office of Ecology, 631-852-5760.

Information also can be found by visiting suffolkcountyny.gov/Home/departments/healthservices.aspx and clicking the link "beach advisories and closures."

For up-to-date recorded information on beach closings and openings in Nassau, call 516-227-9700, or call 516-227-9717 from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. weekdays.