A Hamptons beach strewn with multi-million dollar mansions may have some of the highest levels of fecal matter recorded in the US, making the wealthy area a site for dangerous bacteria.
Last year, Mecox Bay in Water Mill, was placed in the top 10 of US beaches that tested positive for unsafe levels of enterococcus, an intestinal pathogen typically used as an indicator of how much fecal matter in in water.
Mecox Bay is an inland body of water separated from the ocean by a spit of land, and it is also a considerably high-income area, with dozens of waterfront mansions across its sands. Surprisingly, however, it looks like the high prices may not coincide with the water and air quality levels.
Enterococcus levels at Mecox Bay exceeded the amount considered safe by New York State standards in 46% of tests taken in 2023 by the Surfrider Foundation, a water quality non-profit which samples beaches across the country. It was ranked as the beach with the sixth highest percentage of bacteria rates in the country, with San Diego, California, and Kauai, Hawaii, tied for first with 100% of high bacteria rates.
Residents of Mecox Bay say the water is a receptacle for a significant amount of the Hamptons’ watershed, meaning nearly all of the upland runoff from businesses, farms, and homes packed into the area accumulates there. This issue is exacerbated by the old septic systems and cesspools that the Hamptons depends on, as human waste seeps into the bay with the water runoff.
“All of that pollution ends up entering the bay,” said Scott Horowitz, president of the Southampton Town Trustees.
As a means of fixing this contamination issue, the Town of Southampton periodically physically opens Mecox Bay to the ocean, which drains the waste and also re-salinates and purifies the area surrounding the rising tide.
However, when April 1 arrives every year, endangered species like piping plovers and terns begin to roost on the land where the cut is made, delaying the drainage, which leads to bacteria levels increasing.
“Our strength becomes our weakness,” he said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”
