New Yorkers fled to the Hamptons in 2020 – and sparked a major sewage crisis

A water quality crisis has been hiding in the ritzy Hamptons, but the pandemic pushed it over the edge. Will clean-up efforts be too little too late?

• Have you faced sanitation issues? We want to hear from you

Growing up in Southampton, Bryan McGowin spent his summers swimming in a beautiful local pond. Now in his 40s, McGowin won't let his kids into the water.

If you drink that now, you will get sick," said McGowin. Across the New York coastal community better known as the Hamptons, residents face perilously declining water quality, which has shut down recreation in many freshwater ponds.