For nearby residents, the Hamptons is the perfect getaway with its sense of affluence and stretches of lush beaches - but just don't go swimming in them. If you do, you might end with bathing in something more than than you bargained for as Mecox Bay in Southampton last year wound up in the top 10 for dangerous levels of enterococcus. The intestinal pathogen is often used to indicate just how much fecal matter there is in water.
Overall enterococcus levels in the bay were 46% - exceeding the amount considered safe by standards - following by the Surfrider Foundation. The water quality non-profit organization that is pushing for local legislation to help improve the septic and cesspool system in the Hamptons. Surfrider Senior Water Quality Manager Mara Dias told the on Wednesday: “It’s one of the beaches where we have some of the most concerns because consistently we are seeing high bacteria levels that exceed the safe health standards for recreational water.
And it’s a place where we see people recreating.” Other beaches that that were listed as having a level of bacteria included Imperial Beach in San Diego, Park View Kayak Launch in Miami Beach, Nāwiliwili Stream at Kalapakī Bay in Hawaii and Linda Mar Beach in California. Mecox Bay though - where waterside mansions can be snapped up for a whopping $37.
5million - is cut off from the ocean by a spit of land. Those living in the luxury area say that the bay ends up being a receptacle for a large amount of the Hamp.