Coveleigh Club was one of nine Long Island Sound beaches the Westchester County Health Department closed Monday due to excessive rainfall over the weekend.
The Rye club, located on Stuyvesant Avenue in Milton Point, was shut down to beachgoers along with several beaches in Mamaroneck and New Rochelle as a precaution by county health officials due to the possibility of “elevated bacteria levels” contaminating the water.
The Sound Shore area was hit with a deluge of rain this weekend — over an inch on Saturday and more than a half-inch on Sunday. That amount of rainfall in a 24-hour period is enough to overflow the area’s sewer systems and cause polluted stormwater — including fecal matter — to runoff into the Long Island Sound.
Harbor Island, Beach Point Club, Orienta Beach Club, and Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club in Mamaroneck and Hudson Park Beach, Davenport Club, Greentree Club, and Surf Club in New Rochelle were also closed Monday.
Long Island Sound beach closures have been sporadic this summer. But the problem has a much lengthier history, as poorly maintained sewer systems, which for decades caused millions of gallons of raw and only partially treated sewage to enter the Long Island Sound, were the focus of a 2015 lawsuit brought by environmental organization Save the Sound against 11 Westchester communities for violations of the U.S. Clear Water Act.
All of the communities named, including Rye, reached settlements agreeing to make repairs and upgrades to their infrastructure, which are ongoing.
If excessive rainfall does not occur through the remainder of Monday night, the county Health Department may reopen the shuttered beaches on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Residents and visitors can visit the Westchester County website for the latest updates on beach closures and reopening schedules.