Sewage Concerns Close Coney Island Beach

The Boardwalk at Coney was bumpin' yesterday but the ocean was empty despite the heat.

Swimmers were ordered to stay out of the water at Coney Island and nearby Manhattan Beach because of concerns about a sewage overflow. The New York City Parks Department posted signs yesterday morning saying swimming wasn't permitted at the two Brooklyn beaches. The boardwalk was open, and sunbathing on the sand was allowed.

Ocean water at the two beaches may be contaminated by raw sewage from a sewage treatment plant that overflowed, the city Department of Environmental Protection said.

Other city beaches were open for swimming, and Nassau County officials reopened 22 beaches yesterday. The beaches had been closed over worries about stormwater runoff.  Those Nassau beaches were closed as a precautionary measure, according to local officials.

City officials will monitor the water at Coney each day to see when it is safe to reopen the beach to swimmers.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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