Clean Up Havens Beach

For decades, the water quality at Havens Beach, Sag Harbor Village’s lone bathing beach, has been questionable at best, with stormwater runoff from the 2-square-mile village, largely filtering through a drainage ditch leading directly into the bay. In such a beautiful village, it’s a decidedly less-than-idyllic spot.

Stormwater runoff is often cited as one of the major sources of dangerous bacteria levels in our bays, and the impact of stormwater runoff at Havens Beach has been an issue that administrations in Sag Harbor Village have been discussing for well over 30 years, with no real resolution.

Two weeks ago, Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University, a local expert on water quality issues and solutions, reported that testing in the sump at Havens Beach, and at test sites to the east and west of the drainage ditch, revealed — no surprise — ongoing water quality issues. According to Gobler, 40 percent of samples showed fecal coliform levels above the threshold set by the State Department of Environmental Conservation for closing shellfish beds. Levels of the bacteria Enteroccus, which the State Department of Health monitors when ordering beach closures, were also 30 to 40 percent higher than that department’s threshold.

Gobler said it was clear that the major source of bacteria is from feces from dogs and other small mammals, which is carried by stormwater runoff down Route 114, Hempstead and Bay streets, and into local waters.

Previous administrations attempted to deal with the stormwater issue at Havens Beach with a smart sponge filtration system. But it is clear, from Gobler’s testing, that the technology is either not effective enough or is not being maintained at the level necessary to protect waters from the polluted stormwater runoff.

Meanwhile, a plan has existed for decades: the creation of a meandering wetlands, in place of the drainage ditch itself. It could be a natural and effective way to address the problem. It would, of course, likely come at a significant cost, but whether through grant funding or other sources it is time for the Village of Sag Harbor to finally move forward with a proposal that is not just a stop-gap for water quality issues at Havens Beach but an aggressive, permanent solution that gives residents the confidence to return to the beach.

Perhaps a more thorny issue that will need to be addressed with the creation of a wetland is the de-facto dog park that has emerged at Havens Beach, in village-owned grassland next to the drainage ditch. With animal feces being a contributing factor to the poor water quality results that Gobler’s team regularly reports, if the village pursues the idea of a large, and expensive, wetlands restoration project, it will also have to consider whether allowing this park to remain is in its best interest. Perhaps there is a better location, considering the ongoing damage it’s doing to one of the village’s most unique features.