April 12, 2026
Crescent Beach in Glen Cove is officially open for swimming this summer — the first time since June 2009. On April 2, the Nassau County Department of Health approved the reopening after water samples from 2024 and 2025 showed bacteria levels had finally been reduced to safe standards, ending a 17-year closure that had frustrated North Shore residents for nearly two decades.
The story starts with a heavy rainstorm in June 2009. While elevated bacteria levels typically subside within a day or two after rainfall, something was different at Crescent Beach. Testing kept turning up dangerous levels of microbiological contamination in the bathing waters — and the beach was ordered shut.
Health officials and the City of Glen Cove spent years tracing the problem. They eventually found the source: a nearby stream running directly into the Long Island Sound, less than 750 feet from the beach. That stream — along with a connected stormwater conveyance system — was feeding elevated bacteria into the water. Further investigation, including EPA involvement in the mid-2010s, traced much of the contamination to animal waste.
The fix required a genuine multi-year effort. The City of Glen Cove installed Helix filter systems and a box culvert near the base of the problem stream, added natural plantings designed to absorb bacteria, and built a new drainage conduit to manage runoff — all under a remediation plan approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton secured nearly $1 million in county bond funding to support those improvements. Water quality monitoring continued through 2024 and 2025 until the numbers finally cleared the Department of Health's bar.
"Reopening Crescent Beach has been my personal goal for the last 17 years," DeRiggi-Whitton said. "This project has been a tremendous group effort that four mayors, regardless of their political party, each supported."
Crescent Beach sits at the end of Crescent Beach Road in Glen Cove, right along Hempstead Harbor. At 2.5 acres, it's the smallest of Glen Cove's three public beaches — but it has a reputation for being one of the more peaceful spots on the North Shore waterfront during summer.
It's a residents-only beach. Only Glen Cove residents may use Crescent Beach, and you'll need a free beach parking pass to get in. The Recreation Department can be reached at 516-676-3766.
Lifeguards are on duty 10 AM to 6 PM, weather permitting, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Amenities: restrooms, limited parking. No dogs, alcohol, or flotation devices permitted.
