Suffolk County Lifts Peconic River Advisory After Tests Show Safe Levels

Suffolk County Department of Health Services lifted an advisory that had urged people to avoid recreating in the tidal waters of the Peconic River after surface-water testing showed bacterial indicator levels well under New York State bathing-beach standards. The advisory, first issued January 14, was removed January 21 following multiple rounds of sampling at sites along the river.

County officials traced the contamination to a discharge originating from a construction site on East Main Street. Health department crews conducted repeated surface-water sampling at various locations in the tidal Peconic and evaluated the results against state benchmarks for bathing beaches. Based on those tests, SCDHS concluded the area is now suitable for primary contact recreation.

The advisory had affected residents who use the Peconic for direct-contact activities. Primary contact recreation generally refers to activities that involve immersion or frequent full-body contact with water; with the advisory lifted, swimmers, paddlers and others who enter the river can resume those activities subject to normal precautions and any future guidance from the health department.

Local fisheries, recreational outfitters and waterfront businesses that saw reduced activity during the advisory can expect at least a partial return of river-based customers. For Riverhead and neighboring communities, the Peconic is both a recreational resource and an economic asset, and lifting the advisory removes an immediate public-health constraint on riverfront use.

SCDHS emphasized that the decision to lift the advisory followed a testing timeline that included an initial sampling after the discharge was identified and subsequent rounds to confirm that bacterial indicators remained below regulatory thresholds. The department’s assessment focused on established state bathing-beach standards rather than broader water-quality parameters, and residents should note that conditions can change with new discharges, heavy rain, or other events that affect runoff and river flow.

For now, the Peconic River is open again for primary contact recreation. Residents planning to swim, wade or paddle should remain attentive to official SCDHS updates and advisories, and report visible discharges or unusual conditions to county authorities. Continued vigilance by contractors and construction sites near the river will be essential to prevent future contamination events and protect the community’s shared waterfront.