Bacteria closes Glen Cove beach

GLEN COVE, N.Y. (WABC) -- Glen Cove's Crescent Beach is a gem on Long Island's upscale gold coast.

For the fourth summer in a row, the beach is closed for swimming because of high levels of bacteria coming from people's septic systems.

Officials say they believe the bacteria is floating in a stream that runs from a group of homes all the way down to the water. Officials have regularly found elevated levels of an organism that can cause gastrointestinal-type illnesses.

"We're offering a free engineers review of the septic systems. We're offering a free pump out free artistic to break up solid materials," Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi said.

Suozzi says that's only a short term solution though until they find which home (or homes) is causing the problem. 40 different homeowners in the affluent neighborhood near the water are being offered the free service.

"We're hoping that this will bring us back under the numbers that will allow the beach to be opened," he said.

For a long term solution, county legislators are now trying to secure the 7 million dollars that it would cost to get the approximately 100 homes hooked up to the county sewer system.

"The city has already put in a lot of money which were grateful for but I think it's going to be a combination. The county is probably going to have to chip in a bit," Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said.

All this though isn't stopping Glen Cove resident Bo Bogdanich, who grew up swimming In these waters.

"I give it the sniff test. I look at it, I smell it and if it looks good I go in," he said.

The smell if it isn't good. Bogdanich says it smells, in his words, organic.

Beaches on Long Island opened for the season over the Memorial Day weekend.

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