Rye beachgoers planning a trip to Coveleigh Club this week have a clear timeline: the beach is closed Wednesday, Aug. 5, but the Westchester County Department of Health says it can reopen Thursday, Aug. 6, barring more rain.
As we reported Tuesday, the closures have become a recurring feature of the 2026 beach season at Coveleigh Club. It marks the fifth time the DOH has closed the Stuyvesant Avenue beach since late June.
How the threshold rules work
The DOH publishes a tiered system that governs when Coveleigh Club and nearby Sound Shore beaches must close, according to the county's beach-closure page:
- More than half an inch of rain: one-day closure
- More than 1 inch: two-day closure
- More than 2 inches: determined case by case
The closures are preemptive. The county does not wait for water-test results; heavy rain pushes road runoff through drainage outfalls near the beach, raising bacteria levels in Long Island Sound.
Five closures in six weeks
Here's the full list this summer:
- June 23–24 (1.08 inches of rain)
- July 7–8 (1.96 inches)
- July 19–20 (1.8+ inches)
- July 22 (0.73 inches)
- Aug. 4–5 (1.76 inches)
The July 22 closure required just 0.73 inches, barely above the half-inch trigger for a single-day shutdown. Westchester County announced that closure on its official @westchestergov X account.
Sewage spill adds to water-quality concerns
The latest beach closure came one day after the Mamaroneck Wastewater Treatment Plant discharged 4 million gallons of partially treated sewage into Long Island Sound on Monday, Aug. 3. That plant, which handles sewage from many Rye homes, relies on a 60-inch outfall pipe extending roughly half a mile into the Sound. As we reported Monday, it was the second major release in two weeks; a July 21 discharge sent 536,240 gallons into the water.
Save the Sound's 2025 Long Island Sound Beach Report found that wet-weather sample failure rates in the Westchester County and New York City region jumped from 14.9 percent (2020–2022) to 20.8 percent (2022–2024). David Ansel, vice president of Save the Sound's Center for Water Protection, said when the report was released in May 2025 that it "demonstrates just how urgent it is that we prioritize new investment in sewage and stormwater infrastructure."
Before you go
The DOH advises residents to call Coveleigh Club directly before heading out after any rainfall to confirm the beach is open. Thursday's reopening hinges on dry weather holding through Wednesday night.
