Southampton Town Trustees Set To Close Sagg Pond To Shellfishing And Other Activities

The Southampton Town Trustees plan to close Sagg Pond in Sagaponack to shellfishing, swimming and wading this week, after cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, was discovered in the water body by ecologists from Stony Brook University and the Suffolk County Department of Health.

The algae bloom was announced July 20 by the county, and signs were placed around the pond to inform visitors of the toxic bacteria’s potentially harmful health effects.

Despite signs being in place, people have been seen fishing and standup paddleboarding on the pond this week, according to Trustee President Ed Warner Jr.

Blue-green algae are normally found in small numbers in lakes and ponds but can be dangerous to humans and animals if they start to grow and form blooms. The algae are usually a shade of green, though they can also be blue-green, yellow, brown or red. The algae may also produce scum that floats on the water surface, or may cause the water to take on a paint-like appearance.

Blue-green algae blooms thrive in water bodies that are warm and have high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, which tend to be ones that also have high levels of enterococcus, an indicator of coliform bacteria and fecal matter that primarily enters the water through septic systems and runoff.

Mr. Warner said on Tuesday that the Trustees attempted to raise the salinity of the pond in the spring by opening the Sagaponack cut, because raising the salinity would lessen the likelihood of a bloom forming during the summer months. But the flow was limited, he said, and it has been tough to get permits since then.

Opening the cut—a narrow strip of sand between the Atlantic Ocean and Sagg Pond—allows ocean water to flood in and out of the pond, flushing it out and increasing its salinity, which can benefit fish and shellfish.

Mr. Warner said when the endangered species’ piping plovers and least terns nest along the beaches, federal guidelines make it difficult to obtain the permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and State Department of Environmental Conservation, to open the cut.

He added that the Trustees plan to discuss opening the cut at their August 6 meeting at Town Hall at 1 p.m.