Westport Beach Listed Among Best For Water Quality In New Report

WESTPORT, CT — Westport's Burying Hill Beach was listed as a top 10 Long Island Sound beach in Connecticut based on water quality, according to a new report.

According to a news release, the nonprofit organization Save the Sound released results of its 2021 Long Island Sound Beach Report on Thursday.

The report offered good news for swimmers, noting that 79 percent of the more than 200 Long Island Sound beaches highlighted earned "A" or "B" grades for water quality in the 2020 swimming season, according to the organization.

A list of the top 10 public beaches based on water quality for Connecticut can be found below. A top 10 list was also made for New York.

• Waterford Town Beach, Waterford
• Dubois Beach, Stonington
• Westbrook Town Beach, Westbrook
• Esker Point Beach, Groton
• McCook Point Beach, East Lyme
• Eastern Point Beach, Groton
• Quigley Beach, Stamford
• Woodmont Beach, Milford
• White Sands Beach, Old Lyme
• Burying Hill Beach, Westport

"The great news illustrated in this year's report is that there are superb swimming beaches across the length and breadth of the Long Island Sound in both NY and CT," Tracy Brown, Regional Director of Water Protection for Save the Sound, said in a statement. "But the report also demonstrates that there are challenges still to be overcome involving wet weather related pollution at specific beaches, the quality of sewer or septic infrastructure in some beach communities, as well as issues of restricted beach access for the general public."

Save the Sound created a dedicated website which features interactive maps listing beach water quality, and from which the full beach report can be downloaded.