Maybe Don’t Swim At Coney Island, Gerritsen, or Manhattan Beach
Yesterday, the New York Department of Health issued a no-swim advisory for Manhattan Beach and Coney Island. Cedar Grove, Midland, and South Beach in Staten Island were also included in the warning, which DNAinfo reports was due to sewage overflows and increased storm water runoffs.
The advisory has been lifted, but take heed: the National Resources Defense Council says Coney Island and Manhattan Beach are still two of the most contaminated beaches in the city. And that grease factory we know as Nathan’s isn’t to blame. The NRDC says by urging the Environmental Protection Agency to endorse a rule to limit dumping in small streams and wetlands, the epidemic of dirty beaches can be quelled, aka there are loopholes that bypass the dumping restrictions of the Clean Water Act and asshole polluters are tapping into them.
Officials will continue to monitor the beaches, and as of late, it looks like the only advisory for no swimming or bathing in Kings County has been placed on Gerritsen/Kiddie Beach (though the Bronx’s waters are looking like a hot mess). Before you commute an hour or more to the ocean, text the Department of Health’s beach closing number, or check the beach status map. Swimming in contaminated water can cause a host of sicknesses, including respiratory illness, diarrhea, vomiting, and infections. The chronically ill, children, pregnant women, and elderly people are at most risk in these conditions.
Summer is almost over, guys. Here’s to clean swimming.
For more information about water pollution, check out this site.
