Several New London County Beaches Make Report's Top 20

NEW LONDON, CT — The nonprofit organization Save the Sound has released results of its 2021 Long Island Sound Beach Report and includes several New London County beaches on its best of list.

The report offered good news for swimmers, noting that 79% of the more than 200 Long Island Sound beaches highlighted earned “A” or “B” grades for water quality in the 2020 swimming season. The report provided a list of the “Top 20” public beaches on Long Island Sound based on water quality (10 each in NY and CT) and presented comprehensive grades for 204 swimming beaches overall for 2018, 2019, and 2020.

However, the report did note a decline in water quality at many beaches in the days following rain events, which is especially troubling given predictions of increasing seasonal wet weather due to climate change. Several regions showed substantially higher percentages of wet weather water quality failures than in previous years.

Save the Sound is calling on elected officials to invest additional resources in repairs and improvements to sewer lines and stormwater systems, which impact beach water quality after heavy and even moderate rain.

The following CT beaches made the list:

Waterford Town Beach

Dubois Beach in Stonington

Westbrook Town Beach

Esker Point Beach in Groton

McCook Point Beach in East Lyme

Eastern Point Beach in Groton

Quigley Beach in Stamford

Woodmont Beach in Milford

White Sands Beach in Old Lyme

Burying Hill Beach in Westport