Sand and the city: New York dreams of its own beach

The heavy weight of summer has fallen abruptly upon Manhattan, but its residents can at least grasp for one consolation: they are on an island surrounded by water. And yet, just as quickly, they will remember that nowhere along its 32 miles of shoreline is anything that could reasonably be described as a beach.

There are a few spots that invite hardy souls at least to roll up their trouser legs for a paddle. Stuyvesant Cove on the East River at 20th Street sounds promising but the patch of sand, punctuated with rocks and concrete, is large enough for just two beach chairs. For a day of sun and surf, the only option on Manhattan is to leave it. You must make your way to Coney Island in Brooklyn or the dunes of Jersey Shore.

But it is a shortcoming that may be overcome.In time for the start of the swimming season, state officials are considering building the isle's first bona fide public beach on a promentory jutting into the Hudson near the newly fashionable meat-packing district.

It is a project that may be years in the making; there are regulatory obstacles and the site is occupied by a whiffy rubbish collection depot. Then there is the Hudson's reputation as a cesspool of pollution.

But the fact that it is being proposed is a testament to the success of efforts since the 1970s to restore the Hudson's water quality. Its waters are teeming again with striped bass. Even seahorses have returned to New York's harbour.

While the water may not have the turquoise allure of the Caribbean, it is nowadays considered fit for swimming. Several groups dedicated to protecting the river and increasing public access to it have expressed enthusiasm for the beach.

"I'll swim in the Hudson now," Carter Craft, the director of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, commented. "It's safe if you know what you're doing." For several years, the Manhattan Island Foundation has organised a fundraising swim around Manhattan. This year's is set for 24 June.

Moreover, a beach would be the final jewel in the Hudson River Park, a sliver of recreational spaces, lawns and cycle paths that is nearing completion along Manhattan's West Side. It will be the biggest park in New York after Central Park.

The proposal, put together by the state-funded Hudson River Estuary Programme, calls for the demolition of the rubbish depot and the building of a sand lido along the northern side of the promentory. It would be fringed by a lawn linked to Hudson River Park.

Officials admit that a city regulation that forbids public swimming in areas less than 500 feet from overflow pipes from Manhattan's drainage system must be rescinded before the beach can be built. Moreover, when storms hit, effluence from those pipes can carry raw sewage into the river. The solution would simply be to close the beach when large rainfalls occur.