Summer is almost here, but for a few Westchester beaches, the report card is looking rough. A new water-quality assessment released May 19 shows that while most Long Island Sound beaches scored solidly, several Westchester shorelines turned up with troubling bacteria levels just as swimmers are eyeing the water. Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club was the local low‑point, and other regular spots from New Rochelle to Rye landed a mix of A, B and hard-to-ignore D and F grades.
According to Save the Sound, 77% of the 192 public and private beaches sampled during the 2025 swimming season earned A or B grades, a five‑point improvement from 2024. At the same time, 16 beaches received D or F marks. The report notes that 11 of those 16 low‑scoring beaches are in New York City or Westchester County, and all four F grades were in those two areas. The grades are based on samples local health departments uploaded to the EPA’s Water Quality Portal, and Save the Sound highlighted wet‑weather failures as a growing concern.
As reported by Daily Voice, the American Yacht Club and Shenorock Shore Club in Rye aced the testing with A+ marks after recording zero failed samples, while Glen Island Park and the Davenport Club earned B+ grades. Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club landed the county’s worst score, an F, after 35% of its samples failed safety standards, including 67% of wet‑weather samples and 29% of dry‑weather samples. Harbor Island Beach in Mamaroneck also struggled, with roughly one‑third of its tests over the season recorded as failures and wet‑weather samples failing at an especially high rate.
Rain, Runoff and Aging Pipes Take the Blame
As Save the Sound notes, 17.7% of wet‑weather samples around the Sound failed to meet safe‑swimming criteria during the 2025 season, a problem the group links to stormwater, sewer leaks and animal waste washing into local waters. "Stormwater pollution is a leading challenge to water quality at Long Island Sound beaches," Peter Linderoth, the group's director of healthy waters and lands, said in the release. The report recommends expanding green‑infrastructure fixes, including rain gardens, bioswales and constructed wetlands, to cut polluted runoff and improve beach scores over time.
Checking Your Beach and What Comes Next
Local advocates say these grades should light a fire under municipalities to prioritize stormwater and sewer upgrades; as News 12 reported, Save the Sound representatives pointed to Glen Island Park as an example of how vegetation and green space can help protect water quality. Residents can dig into the full 2025 beach grades and sampling results on Sound Health Explorer and are urged to follow local health‑department advisories, especially after heavy rain.
