Visitor Information for the Plattsburgh Beach

Update: City Beach Closes for the Year (8/21/06)

The Plattsburgh city beach is now closed for the season.

Plattsburgh faced budget cuts this year, so the beach opened later and closed earlier than usual.

The beach usually stays open through Labor Day weekend.

Access is still available at the Cumberland Bay State Park adjacent to the City Beach. Alternative beaches on Lake Champlain include Point au Roche and Ausable Point.

City beach closed

The Plattsburgh City Beach and the Cumberland Bay State Park beach were closed Thursday and Friday as a result of storm runoff and subsequent high bacteria levels. This means the water is full of crap.

The real crap is that we can’t get this information in a more rapid and transparent way. You see, they have 4 beaches they manage on the other side of the lake and have no problem posting publically the results of the regular periodic tests. It’s not just some vague reference to “high levels of bacteria”. With one of the highest tax burdens in the nation, you’d think we’d have the best and most efficient government – HA HA! The joke is on you New Yorkers!

John Kanoza of the Clinton County Health Department said water quality is usually affected by large storms, like the one Wednesday.

“When the water churns like that, it elevates solids, and with that comes elevated bacteria levels,” Kanoza said.

Hey John! My family did tell me that the beach was closed for swimming the other day, but there was no news about it. At the Welcome Center we have been sending loads of Canadians to the beach – it would have been nice to be able to tell them the water was FULL OF CRAP, much like our notification system.

“We checked the trail from the manhole cover to the lake, and we didn’t see any solids,” … “But there is no way to tell just what went in there.”

I love a “solid” scientific investigation. If I’m in the area and step on something stinky I’ll be sure to submit a sighting to the Clinton County Department of Health.

The beach should re-open today, July 29, weather permitting.