Courtesy New York State DEC website
Sewage, medical waste, and garbage of all sorts and kinds end up in the waters of New York’s local beaches; According to the NYC Department of Health (DOH), “…the majority of pollutant discharge into NYC's adjacent water originates from Combined Sewer Overflows, stormwater overflows, bypass of pollution control plants, and urban surface runoff.”
Now that summer’s here you need to be careful about how and when to visit the beach. Jesse, a surfer buddy of mine, regularly hits Rockaway Beach when the waves get to 3 feet. He, and his surfing colleagues “get sick whenever it’s been raining and we go out surfing.” The high level of bacteria in the water can hit the heartiest of immune systems.
“…beach closings and advisories are the results of bacteriological contamination.” The DOH closes the beaches for a reason, not to upset beachgoers! This contamination not only includes sewage, and medical waste, but also bird waste! There are nearly 30,000 birds around the New York beaches, and sick birds as well as bird waste are a contributing factor to contamination.
Typically, water pollution and beach closings are due to:
• combined sewer/storm overflows
• bypass of wastewater pollution control plants
• urban surface runoff
• animal waste
• poorly functioning septic tanks systems
• boating wastes
• sewage and oil spills
• medical waste and floatable trash/debris
Risks of swimming in polluted water include (per the DOH):
• Gastroenteritis - chills, nausea, diarrhea, stomach ache, head ache, fever
• Diseases of the eye, ear, skin
• Upper respiratory infections
Highly polluted water can cause more serious diseases:
• Amoebic dysentery, Cholera, Giardiasis, Hepatitis, Intestinal parasites, Norwalk Virus, Shigellosis, Viral Gastroenteritis, and Viral Respiratory Infections.
Also, children, infants, the elderly, and those with immune system compromise (chronic illness, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS, etc.) are likely to develop illnesses or infection after swimming in polluted water.
If you’ve been to the beach and you feel sick, call your doc right away.
The locations of the seven Parks Department public beaches in New York City are:
The Bronx: Orchard Beach
Queens: Rockaway Beach
Brooklyn: Brighton Beach & Coney Island
Brooklyn: Manhattan Beach (go figure, Manhattan Beach is in Brooklyn!)
Staten Island: Midland Beach
Staten Island: South Beach
Staten Island: Wolfe’s Pond Beach
The DOH has safety notices for these beaches as well as for all the private beaches in the city, so be sure to check for the water safety before you head out by clicking the links below.
So let’s hit the beaches!
For more info:
Beach Status for The Bronx and Queens,
Beach Status for Brooklyn and Rockaways,
Beach Status for Staten Island
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