Response of indicator bacteria in Great South Bay, Long Island to the breach at Old Inlet: An analysis of coliform bacteria post Hurricane Sandy
Gobler C and Thickman J. 2016. Response of indicator bacteria in Great South Bay, Long Island to the breach at Old Inlet: An analysis of coliform bacteria post Hurricane Sandy. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NER/NRR—2016/1261. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Pathogenic bacteria represent a major economic and human health concern in many of the coastal bays of Long Island, New York, where the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation monitors fecal coliform bacterial levels as a proxy for pathogenic bacteria. Here we examine how Hurricane Sandy and the breach at Old Inlet, brought about by Sandy, affected fecal coliform bacteria levels in Great South Bay, Narrow Bay, and Moriches Bay. Spatial and temporal analyses of water quality conditions before and after breach formation showed that fecal coliform bacteria levels declined in areas in close proximity to the breach once it had been established, though changes were limited elsewhere. As a result of this decline in indicator bacteria, sections of coastal bays previously uncertified for shellfish harvest, such as central Narrow Bay, warrant reevaluation as a closed or uncertified shellfish bed, as does the previous practice of closing naturally occurring breaches along the barrier islands of Long Island.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Gobler, Chris; Thickman, Jake
- Date of Issue
- 2016-08
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- FIIS , NER , NRSS
- Keywords
- 2230810, barrier islands, coastal bays, fecal coliform bacteria, Great South Bay, Hurricane Sandy, indicator bacteria, Long Island, Moriches Bay, Narrow Bay, New York, Old Inlet, pathogenic bacteria, shellfish harvest