UPDATE, Friday Aug. 17, 9:30 a.m. – Swimming at West Meadow Beach is still off-limits, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
A department representative said Friday: "Because of stormwater runoff, the bacteria levels exceeded acceptable criteria. [We] will test the water again today, and if the bacteria levels are within acceptable levels, it will reopen."
Original Story:
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services announced Thursday afternoon it has closed to bathing due to elevated levels of bacteria found in the water.
According to the department, enterococci, which is an indicator of fecal bacteria, was found in higher-than-acceptable levels on Aug. 15 and Aug. 13 than on previous days.
The department has announced multiple beach closures over the past few weeks following heavy rains. Typically, it says, normal tidal flushing generally fixes the problem.
Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.
