Plans for a new adult swimming access point at Stissing Lake could come to fruition by July 4, according to Pine Plains Town Board Member Murphy Birdsall, who serves as liaison to the town’s Conservation Advisory Council.
The swim-at-your-own-risk access point would be located several feet to the right of the public beach, giving residents a sanctioned place to enter the lake outside the lifeguarded beach area, including when lifeguards are not on duty.
The project has been in discussion since last summer. While planning is still underway, one key piece of preparation has already been completed: A benthic barrier near the access point was cleaned up Sunday, May 17, according to Kim Denardis, a member of the CAC. The barrier, a mat placed on the lake bed to help maintain a clear path into the water, was installed in June 2025 by C and D Underwater Maintenance. The company recently returned to pull milfoil that had grown around it, Denardis said.
The CAC also plans to plant native vegetation along the shoreline near the access point. Denardis said plants such as arrow arum, blue flag irises and buttonbush would support pollinators, including butterflies, birds and dragonflies.
Birdsall said the Recreation Department may also consider installing a wooden walkway beginning near the fence and extending down toward the water.
The access point would be the first board-sanctioned public swimming entry at the lake outside the lifeguarded beach area, Birdsall said. She said it could help address residents entering the lake from private shoreline areas.
Rachel Greenfield, who has lived near the lake for about 30 years, said the access point would provide a safer option for swimmers.
“The only other quasi-public entry to the lake then becomes the boat landing, which is owned by the Lions Club,” Greenfield said. “There are fishing boats and motor boats and all sorts of traffic going in and out of that boat landing all the time, and there’s a lot of aquatic vegetation there, and it’s not safe for people to be going in and out swimming.”
Greenfield said she supported expanding lake access for residents who do not live along the shoreline.
“What you have to do is have a spot where it’s clearly posted that you’re swimming at your own risk,” she said. “There’s ample parking, they have a place for their towels and grass to sit on, and it’s safe. So I’m thrilled.”
Town officials and CAC members also discussed water quality concerns at the lake. Last summer, testing found enterococci, a fecal indicator bacteria, and the lake was closed about two or three times for multiple days, according to Trevor Roush, the town board liaison to the Recreation Department.
Roush said the cause of the elevated bacteria levels can be difficult to determine, citing possible factors such as geese, runoff after rain or changes in weather.
“I believe that we are going to press the [County] Health Department to take a better sample of the beach,” Roush said. “You’re supposed to take three samples and then you get a median number and it seems like, from my understanding, they were only taking a sample from one place.”
Denardis said Stissing Lake is not stagnant and that bacteria often clears on its own.
Roush also said the metal fence along the shoreline would need to be cut to create the access point. Two red flags currently mark the proposed opening.
Denardis said the project would be a welcome addition.
“It’s a nice alternative entry into the water for people who enjoy swimming,” she said.