water quality

Summer water temperatures are rising in East Hampton, stressing organisms including bivalves and seagrasses. Meanwhile, the water quality in Wainscott Pond is rapidly worsening, with 2020 measurements of a toxin "unlike anything we'd ever seen," the town trustees were told on Monday.

The cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, that have bloomed in Wainscott Pond in recent years produce dangerous toxins known as microcystins, the East Hampton Town Trustees were told on Friday, presenting a hazard to private wells or even those breathing the surrounding air.

The Southampton Town Board has approved funding to match recent fund-raising efforts to implement a water quality improvement project plan for Sagg Pond and Sagg Inlet, which is at the south end of the pond.