Beach reopens after goose waste forces closure

The beach closure for Lake Ronkonkoma Beach in the Town of Islip has been lifted now that recent water samples meet New York state standards.  Canada geese were the source behind contaminated water

News 12 Staff

Jul 24, 2015, 2:16 AM

Updated 3,360 days ago

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The beach closure for Lake Ronkonkoma Beach in the Town of Islip has been lifted now that recent water samples meet New York state standards. 
Canada geese were the source behind contaminated water that prompted several bans on swimming, according to officials. The geese waste caused a high level of E. coli bacteria in the water.
Islip Town had to shut down the beach for 25 days this summer. County health officials say that Lake Ronkonkoma Beach has had the most closures of the 190 beaches that they monitor.
"They need to do something about it. People want to go bathing here, hang out, and (I want to) take my kids, and I can't," says Scott Cohen, of Holbrook. "It's not good for the wildlife. It's not good for anything."
Canada geese are a federally protected species. But environmentalist Adrienne Esposito says if the geese are the main source of the problem, the town should be looking at ways of controlling their population.
"They have humane ways now of controlling geese," Esposito says. "Relocating them is one very popular one...It is hard, but it is doable."