Beaches
August 29, 2024
Bathing Water Sampling Sites
The sampling sites in italics are EPA beach grant beaches (EPA monitors results from these beaches).
- Areas highlighted in YELLOW are under active swimming advisory
- Areas highlighted in RED are currently CLOSED.
| East Lyme Attawan Beach Black Point Beach Club (Nehantic) Black Point Beach Club (Osprey) Crescent Beach Boardwalk Beach Giants Neck Beach (East) Giants Neck Heights Gorton Pond Hole-In-The-Wall Beach McCook Point (Main) Oak Grove Beach Old Black Point Beach Pine Grove Groton East Shore (North) East Shore (South) Eastern Point Beach (West) Esker Point Jupiter Point Mumford Cove Noank Dock Shennecossett South Shore (West) West Shore (West) Ledyard Highland Park | New London Green Harbor Beach L+M Beach Ocean Beach (Two sites) Old Lyme Rogers Lake (Hains Park) White Sands Beach Hawks Nest Beach Soundview Beach Miami Beach Old Colony Beach Old Lyme Shores Point O’ Woods Stonington Wadawanuck Beach Dubois Beach Lords Point Beach Williams Beach Masons Island Yacht Club Waterford Millstone Point Beach Pleasure Beach Waterford Beach (Center) |
What is a swimming advisory?
Swimming advisories do not automatically close beaches. It means that samples were drawn, and the results exceeded Connecticut’s established limit for bacteria. A swimming advisory alerts beachgoers that bacteria was recently found, and that additional sample results are pending. In general, wading in the water is safe to do under a swimming advisory. Active swimming including dunking your head underwater is not recommended.
Beach Water Results
There are currently no swimming advisories or closures in effect at any LLHD-monitored beaches.
Ledge Light Health District conducted routine bathing water sampling on Monday, August 26, 2024, and all bathing water sample results were below the bacterial action levels set by the State of Connecticut. This concludes the 2024 beach water season.
Please be aware that rain or other contamination events that occurred before the routine weekly sampling may have contributed to elevated bacterial counts. Areas with stormwater runoff (storm drainpipes or extensive impervious surfaces) or low water turnover (inland bathing areas) are particularly vulnerable to increased bacterial counts following rainfall. We recommend all individuals responsible for the bathing areas take these events into consideration.
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Ledge Light Health District conducts weekly bathing water sampling from Memorial Day through Labor Day for the Towns and Cities of East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, New London, Old Lyme, Stonington, and Waterford.
Beach or bathing water quality is measured by the presence of enterococcal organisms, which are a group of organisms that may indicate the presence of potentially harmful bacteria. The State of Connecticut has issued guidelines for bathing water quality, which are used to determine if a bathing area needs to be resampled or posted with an advisory. A concentration of enterococcal organisms exceeding 104 colonies per 100 ml of marine water and 235 colonies per 100 ml of freshwater is considered unsatisfactory for bathing.
Ledge Light Health District wants to ensure that your day at the beach doesn’t result in illness related to poor water quality. At least once a week from mid-May to mid-September, our Sanitarians collect water samples from different bathing areas throughout the District. The water samples are then sent to the State laboratory for analysis. If any samples exceed the State guidelines, we resample the water to verify the result. If the second test confirms the level, a bathing advisory is posted at that location. We will continue to monitor the site and remove the posting as soon as the levels are safe. If you have any additional questions concerning beaches or public bathing water, please contact Danielle Holmes, Sanitarian.
Helpful Resources
- The EPA Beach Monitoring and Notification website provides information on public health and environmental protection for beachgoers across the country.
- The CDC has information on staying safe and enjoying healthy water activities.
- Visit the Sound Health Explorer website for water quality reports for beaches along Long Island Sound.