Signs of Progress at Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond

How Local leadership and the Blue Water Task Force Can Work Together to Improve Water Quality and Protect Human Health

The Eastern Long Island Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) partners with two other nonprofit organizations, Peconic Baykeeper and Concerned Citizens of Montauk, to conduct year-round water quality monitoring at over 80 sites across the North and South Fork. For over a decade, they have tested the water in Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond, and the results have often been concerning. Both waterbodies regularly exceed New York State’s safety standards for enterococcus, a fecal indicator bacteria. Mecox Bay’s warm, shallow waters attract families with young children, while Sagg Pond is a popular spot for kayaking and paddle boarding. But when bacteria levels spike, these waters can pose real health risks — especially for children and people with compromised immune systems.

Testing at these sites highlights how the BWTF fills critical gaps in local and state monitoring programs. Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond sit just behind lifeguarded ocean beaches (Scott Cameron and Sagg Main) separated by a narrow barrier beach that is occasionally dredged (or “cut”) to allow tidal exchange. While Suffolk County monitors ocean beaches monthly during peak summer season, they don’t test the adjacent ponds. That’s where the BWTF steps in, providing year-round testing at both the ponds and beaches, especially during the off-season and in between the county’s summer sampling schedule.

This video shows the open "cut" at Mecox Bay, a popular spot where families enjoy swimming in the shallow, warmer waters during the summer.

The chronically high bacteria levels at Mecox Bay were serious enough to land it on the Priority Polluted Beach List in Surfrider’s 2023 Clean Water Report. That designation caught the attention of the Southampton Town Trustees, who reached out to explore how we could work together to improve the situation. After reviewing BWTF’s data and recommendations, the Trustees, along with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, supported the installation of informational signs at key access points to Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond. These signs include QR codes that link directly to BWTF water quality results, giving beachgoers timely information to help them make informed choices about when and where to swim. The signs were installed just before Memorial Day weekend. We hope they will raise awareness and help keep the community safe.

Chip Maran, Southampton Town Trustee, stands beside the Blue Water Task Force sign, which was installed just in time for Memorial Day weekend when beach activity ramps up for the season.

But the work doesn’t stop here.

The Trustees applied for permits and reconfigured the “cut” between Mecox Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in February to better align it with prevailing winds, helping it stay open longer and allowing for more consistent tidal flushing and higher salinity. Increased tidal flushing helps reduce bacteria levels by bringing in cleaner ocean water and carrying out stagnant, nutrient-rich bay water that can fuel harmful bacteria and algal growth. Efforts are also underway to reopen blocked creeks that feed into the bay, restoring natural flow and wetland function. These actions aim to improve conditions for native species like oysters and steamers while discouraging invasive plants like phragmites. Meanwhile, in Sagg Pond, researchers are using groundwater telemetry to identify pollution sources and guide future restoration strategies.

In addition to these management measures by the Town Trustees, the BWTF partners joined a large coalition of environmental organizations across Suffolk County last year to educate voters on a ballot proposition to establish the Water Quality Restoration Fund to address pollution caused by septics, cesspools and inadequate sewage infrastructure. This program will provide significant funding to add sewage infrastructure for Suffolk County homes and swap out old, polluting septics with advanced treatment systems in areas where sewers cannot be extended. The Water Quality Restoration Fund has the potential to be a real game changer in restoring clean water in not only Mecox Bay and Sagg Pond, but in coastal waterways across the East End of Long Island. 

This kind of collaboration between local government, public health agencies, the BWTF, and other scientists shows what’s possible when we work together. Thanks to years of consistent data collection, advocacy, and community engagement, we’re now seeing meaningful progress toward cleaner water.

Surfrider, Peconic Baykeeper, and Concerned Citizens of Montauk members, along with Trustee Chip Maran, by the new BWTF sign at the Mecox Bay beach entrance.

To learn more about Eastern Long Island’s Blue Water Task Force and see a summary of water quality data from all tested sites, check out the 2024 ELI Annual BWTF Report. For a broader look at water quality across the country, dive into Surfrider’s 2024 National Clean Water Report.