Surfrider Signs Offer Way for Beachgoers To Keep Tabs on Water Quality at Swimming Holes - 27 East
logo logo logo logo

Sag Harbor Express

East Hampton Press / News / Government / Health / Environment / Government / Health / News / Southampton Press / Environment / Environment / Government / News / Sag Harbor Express / 2368858

Surfrider Signs Offer Way for Beachgoers To Keep Tabs on Water Quality at Swimming Holes

icon 3 Photos
The Surfrider Foundation, partnering with the Peconci Baykeeper and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, has put up signs at some local beaches warning of the potential for high levels of bacteria. The signs display a QR code that links to the latest water sampling results so bathers know whether bacteria levels have been elevated recently. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The Surfrider Foundation, partnering with the Peconci Baykeeper and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, has put up signs at some local beaches warning of the potential for high levels of bacteria. The signs display a QR code that links to the latest water sampling results so bathers know whether bacteria levels have been elevated recently. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The Mecox Bay

The Mecox Bay "cut" is a popular bathing area for families with kids because of the calm, shallow water it creates. But water quality advocates say that even though the ocean beaches are pristine, the bay side water can often have high bacteria levels that can make swimmers ill or cause ear and eye infections. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The Surfrider Foundation, partnering with the Peconci Baykeeper and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, has put up signs at some local beaches warning of the potential for high levels of bacteria. The signs display a QR code that links to the latest water sampling results so bathers know whether bacteria levels have been elevated recently. MICHAEL WRIGHT

The Surfrider Foundation, partnering with the Peconci Baykeeper and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, has put up signs at some local beaches warning of the potential for high levels of bacteria. The signs display a QR code that links to the latest water sampling results so bathers know whether bacteria levels have been elevated recently. MICHAEL WRIGHT

authorMichael Wright on Jun 18, 2025
The South Fork’s ocean beaches, the crown jewel of the region and the main engine for the economic juggernaut of its summer resort communities, are pristine and rarely suffer from... more

You May Also Like:

‘Almost Alice’: On Lost Words and the Language of the Wild

By Ella Gatfield I recently came across “The Lost Words,” a book so beautiful it felt like a spell. It swung open a door in my mind that had long been ajar — the idea that the disappearance of nature is mirrored, perhaps even preceded, by the disappearance of the words we once used to describe it. Newt. Raven. Bramble. Each name a small prayer, a key to recognition. And when those keys are lost, the locks rust shut. “The Lost Words” by Robert Macfarlane (author) and Jackie Morris (illustrator) features nature terms removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary, culled ... 3 Aug 2025 by Ella Gatfield

VIEWPOINT: Awaiting the Next Great American Hero

By Charles French Configuring a short list of the most self-sacrificing American heroes to date was easy: George Washington, Margaret Fuller, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Neil Armstrong. Identifying the one to come next in the sequence turned out to be like searching for an element in the periodic table that should be there but isn’t — at least not yet. I will take pains, therefore, to examine only the “formula” for this missing hero. In the days and weeks following 9/11, a world ... by Charles French

Count Again

A few weeks ago, regarding the trade parade traffic dilemma, I suggested that all vehicles must have at least two occupants. I surmised this because every morning on my way to work to Riverhead, I drive past the eastbound traffic and said, conservatively, at least 50 percent of the vehicles have one occupant. Today, again, on my way to Riverhead, I revise that 50 percent to, at a minimum, 80 percent. The town should, for one day, get a count via observing at one point at the east end of Sunrise Highway each vehicle’s occupant count. Then they might think ... by Staff Writer

Ridiculous Proposition

Responding to a letter from Congressman Nick LaLota: Your letter claims $31.1 billion of fraud and waste in the Medicaid program because of improper documentation. If this were adjudged to be caused by physicians, having worked for a doctor who I knew benefited from illegal documentation practices, one might agree. (I got myself fired.) But the direction seems to be claiming that the recipients are lying and cheating the system. The “cure” for insufficient documentation is to require more documentation? I cannot think of a snappy rejoinder. It just does not look like a solution. Where is the revamped, updated, ... by Staff Writer

Inappropriate?

As usual, I was thumbing through my copy of last week’s Southampton Press, July 24, and had to stop and take a second look at the paper’s choice to print a rather large political cartoon, on page A15, which is not unusual — but this one was. In my many decades of being an advertiser and subscriber, this was something I had never seen before, and hope I never do again. There it was, on full display: a cartoon with strong sexual overtones. In my opinion, I always thought of The Southampton Press as a family newspaper to be read ... by Staff Writer

Choices Matter — So Where Are They?

Everywhere you look on the national political scene, you hear concerns regarding the health of American democracy. A decline in democratic institutions due to increased political polarization, partisan pressure on elections, such as current gerrymandering efforts in Texas, and growing inequalities in wealth and influence are often cited as threats to a thriving democracy. We have seen restrictions on voter access and politicization of election administration, expansions of executive power, increased partisan conflicts, the growing cost of campaigns, and the impact of special interests. Public trust in government has also decreased, with many feeling their representatives do not truly reflect ... by Fred W. Thiele Jr.

The Fight Over Four Years

Voters in Suffolk County in November will decide again whether the terms of the 18 members of the Suffolk County Legislature will be extended from two to four years. This time, the impetus for the proposed change is a 2023 state law that switched elections for most local positions from odd-numbered to even-number years. Kevin J. McCaffrey of Lindenhurst, a Republican and presiding officer of the County Legislature, after it passed a measure last month providing for the change, declared: “Governor [Kathy] Hochul’s election law is a blatant power grab by our Democratic-controlled state government.” A GOP view is that ... by Karl Grossman

Avlon Says He Will Not Mount Congressional Challenge in 2026

Former CNN anchorman, author and political commentator John Avlon, who ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic ... 1 Aug 2025 by Stephen J. Kotz

Caroline Grace Fairley of Sag Harbor Dies July 22

Caroline Grace Fairley, affectionately known as “Caro,” passed away unexpectedly in her home in Sag ... by Staff Writer

Rose L. Nabel of Southampton Dies July 25

Rose L. Nabel, 94, of Southampton, New York, passed away at Bayshore Medical Center on ... by Staff Writer