What Westchester beaches are the best and which don't make the grade?
A majority of Westchester County beaches got good ratings in the latest report by Save the Sound.
The environmental action organization issues a report every two years on all the beaches fronting on Long Island Sound, not only on the island but in Connecticut, and in Westchester County and New York City. The report is based on data from 2020-2022.
The report assesses the beaches' historic track record for how safe it was to swim there, based on the presence of pathogens such as viruses or bacteria.
All but a few of the nearly two dozen Westchester County beaches included in the report got an A or B grade. Here's where they stood, from worst to best:
Westchester County beach grades
Harbor Island Beach, Mamaroneck: F. (Lowest score in the region from 2020-2022)
Hudson Park, New Rochelle: D+.
MMK Beach and Yacht Club: C+.
Rye Playland: C+.
Davenport Club, New Rochelle: B-.
Orienta Beach Club, Mamaroneck: B-.
Larchmont Manor Park: B.
Shenorock Shore Club, Rye: B.
Greentree Club, New Rochelle: B+.
Rye Town/Oakland Beach: B+.
Westchester County Country Club, Rye: B+.
American Yacht Club, Rye: A+.
Beach Point Club, Mamaroneck: A+.
Beckwithe Pointe, New Rochelle: A+.
Coveleigh Beach Club, Rye: A+.
Larchmont Shore Club: A+
Manursing Island Club, Rye: A+.
Surf Club, New Rochelle: A+.
VIP Club, New Rochelle: A+.
Glen Island Park, New Rochelle: A+ (5th in the state from 2020-2022)
Not enough data was available in 2022 for Shore Acres Club, Echo Bay Yacht Club and New Rochelle Rowing Club.
How the grading system works
Save the Sound measures two factors in its grading system:
How often the water at a beach was identified as unsafe for swimming.
And how high the level of contamination was on the worst sampling day of the season.
Because the sources and concentration of contamination can vary depending on rainfall, grades for both dry and wet weather conditions are used in calculating the final grade. A sample is considered to have been taken in wet weather if one-quarter of an inch of rain or more fell within 48 hours of the taking of the sample.
What causes problems at Westchester's beaches
Peter Linderoth, Save the Sound's director of water quality, said a major problem for Westchester County beaches is the high volume of impervious surfaces − parking lots and other paved areas that direct polluted water to places like beaches.
The latest report noted an increasing number of rain events each year, and that will have to be addressed in future development, Linderoth said. Linderoth would recommend "nature-based solutions" for dealing with storm-water runoff, including rain gardens and bio-swales.
"They can capture some water and help it get into the ground, where it is naturally treated," Linderoth said.
Should I still go to the beaches with poor grades?
Linderoth said he "wouldn't go so far" as to say if you see a bad grade, don't go to that beach. After all, he noted, it is based on data gathered the prior year, so it is a track record, not a current conditions report. And beach management, which makes decisions from day to day on whether a beach will be open or closed based on current data, should still rule when it comes to deciding where to swim, he said.
The main purpose for creating the report was "to give people a familiar place where they can go to make sense of beach quality," Linderoth said.
But there are a few grades that stand out, like the D+ for Hudson Park, and the F for Harbor Island Beach, to which attention should be paid, he said.
"Those two beaches definitely need to improve," Linderoth said.
And those who use the beaches should get involved in that improvement, he added.
"If I lived in that community, I would talk with my local elected officials, ask them what's being done to improve them," Linderoth said.
Top 10 beaches in New York (2020-2022)
McCabe's Beach, Southold: A+.
Southold Beach, Southold: A+.
Orient Beach State Park, Southold: A+.
Kenney's Beach, Southold: A+.
Glen Island Park, New Rochelle: A+.
Port Jefferson Beach - West, Brookhaven: A+.
Ransom Beach, Oyster Bay: A+.
Centre Island - Sound Beach, Oyster Bay: A+.
Soundside Beach, Oyster Bay: A+.
Sunken Meadow State Park, Smithtown: A+.
Top 10 beaches in Connecticut (2020-2022)
Hole-in-the-Wall Beach, East Lyme: A+.
Esker Point Beach, Groton: A+.
Surf Club Beach, Madison: A+.
Great Captain Island Beach, Greenwich: A+.
Noank Dock, Groton: A+.
East Wharf Beach, Madison: A+.
Quigley Beach, Stamford: A+.
Anchor Beach (Merwin Point) #2, Milford: A+.
Burying Hill Beach, Westport: A+.
White Sands Beach, Old Lyme: A+.
Bottom 10 beaches in region (2020-2022)
Harbor Island Beach, Mamaroneck: D.
Green Harbor Beach, New London, Connecticut: C-.
Byram Park Beach, Greenwich, Connecticut: C-.
Manorhaven Beach, North Hempstead: C.
Rocky Neck State Park Beach, East Lyme, Connecticut: C.
Pleasure Beach - Bridgeport, Connecticut: C.
Beekman Beach, Oyster Bay: C+.
Seabluff Beach, West Haven, Connecticut: C+.
Hudson Park, New Rochelle: C+.
Anchor Beach (Merwin Point) #1: C+.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Best and worst Westchester County NY beaches, per report
