[CateP]

I've been over at the NJ forum discussing a possible move to southeast CT and someone said that LI Sound was very polluted and the beaches couldn't compare with the Jersey shore. I live on the shore and have seen the ocean in various states - brown murky, grey, bright blue, jade green. Some days in summer we get a non-stinging jellyfish influx or these eggs that make the water like tapioca pudding (gross). Some days the water is almost like the Caribbean, warm, clear, blue-green. We pay a seasonal fee ($70 for my town) or a daily fee $7. The beaches are cleaned and "groomed" every night and there are life guards with designated swimming areas. Almost all beaches have a bath house and some kind of refreshment concessions. Needless to say beaches are PACKED in summer, but in early June and September we get some of those rare, precious days with beautiful weather and no crowds. (locals delight)
Given my description of the shore near me, how does this compare with the southeastern beaches (including RI, where I used to go as a kid)

[skytrekker]

The beaches and shoreline from about Old Saybrook east clear out and have a fresher color and vibe.

East of the Old Saybrook LI Sounds gives out to Block Island sound-which is more open and fresh.. East of New London the Atlantic ocean becomes predominate- into Rhode Island.

[mels]

The further east you go, the more dilution you have from the Atlantic. The closer to NYC you get, the more polluted it would be but they constantly test it and if an issue arises the beaches would be closed. Honestly, the Sound is cleaner than it has been in decades. People like to pooh pooh it without knowing anything about it. I will say, it lacks the waves of the open ocean since it is protected by LI and CT. You'll get some white caps sometimes, but that's about it unless a storm is rolling through.

I grew up swimming in it and I am still here to tell the tale.

[skytrekker]

Originally Posted by mels

The further east you go, the more dilution you have from the Atlantic. The closer to NYC you get, the more polluted it would be but they constantly test it and if an issue arises the beaches would be closed. Honestly, the Sound is cleaner than it has been in decades. People like to pooh pooh it without knowing anything about it. I will say, it lacks the waves of the open ocean since it is protected by LI and CT. You'll get some white caps sometimes, but that's about it unless a storm is rolling through.

I grew up swimming in it and I am still here to tell the tale.

Well said Mels- and accurate.

[clamboy]

I live 60 miles out east on LI.
Sound beaches are pretty clean on our side too.

C

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by clamboy

I live 60 miles out east on LI.
Sound beaches are pretty clean on our side too.

C

I stand corrected
Just on News 12

Beaches have been closed periodically this summer due to runoff.

Cant wait to leave.

C

[sun]

CateP, Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a state listing of all of the public beaches by town complete with pictures.
I'd guess that NJ beaches are sandier & better maintained.
We have the local small jellyfish infestations sometimes too.
Some of the Niantic beaches are within sight of a nuke plant IIRC.
RI beaches have man-o-war jellyfish problems sometimes too.

Click on Public Breach Search in the left hand column for a complete listing by town:
http://www.lisrc.uconn.edu/coastalaccess/searchr.asp

Or clicking on town search provides a coastal map to select the town from.

[CateP]

Originally Posted by sun

CateP, Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a state listing of all of the public beaches by town complete with pictures. I'd guess that NJ beaches are sandier & better maintained.
We have the local small jellyfish infestations sometimes too.
Some of the Niantic beaches are within sight of a nuke plant IIRC.
RI beaches have man-o-war jellyfish problems sometimes too.
Click on Public Breach Search in the left hand column for a complete listing by town:
http://www.lisrc.uconn.edu/coastalaccess/searchr.asp

Sun-The web site was a great resource. Thank you! It looks like there are several nice beaches in the eastern part of the state. A lot more variety than NJ, which is all sand that we pay big $$ to maintain. I remember the man-o-war jellyfish in RI when I was a kid. Bright blue bubbles that we liked to pop when they landed on the beach.
Since we currently live 5 blocks from a very nice beach in NJ, that is the biggest thing we would miss with a move to CT. If we can find a nice place to set our chairs in the sand in CT or RI within a 20-30 minute drive from home, we will be very happy. We also have a 25 ft. sailboat that will get us out and about. Thanks again for that great web link.

[sun]

Here's a Hartford Courant article printed 8/8/07 about beach closings due to pollution. These articles are only available for a short period of time, so I'll post it here for others to read in the future. The beach closings aren't too typical or widespread unless there is a big rainstorm, and at the very least it shows that the water quality is being closely monitored.
Also, I recall reading that CT passed a law this year restricting all discharges of boat wastewater into the Sound, so maybe the water will improve even more.
If you go to the Courant article, there's a link to a PDF about CT water quality standards, testing procedures and 2007 beach closings & advisories which I'll also post here: http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/sumcon.pdf

Closings At Dirty Beaches Rise
By DAVID FUNKHOUSER | Courant Staff Writer
August 8, 2007

The number of days that pollution has shut down Connecticut beaches rose for the fourth year in a row in 2006, according to a report released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Moderator cut: copyrights

Closings At Dirty Beaches Rise -- Courant.com