Concerned Patchogue residents have been waging a five-year battle against Suffolk County to make Lake Patchogue accessible to the public.

Village of Patchogue residents like Phil Butler argue that the lake should be opened to the public because of its beauty.

The county public works commissioner Gil Anderson says a drainpipe from the lake fed by the Patchogue River poses a safety hazard. ?If we open it up to the public, there is a potential, without properly covering it, for someone to fall in and actually get swept into the piping system."

Any improvements to the lake require the approval of the village as well as the county and the state DEC.