Concerns mounting for Babylon residents over murky canal: 'Is it safe?'

SUFFOLK COUNTY - People living along one canal on Long Island are raising the alarm, and it all has to do with some murky water on the south shore.

Residents in one Babylon neighborhood said the water has turned black, and dead aquatic animals are just part of the problem.

"This canal leads into the Great South Bay, and we've been boating on here for about 10 years, and it's never been this dirty," Dominick Digesarl said.

Patricia Hults has lived in the area for five decades. She, too, said it’s scary.

"We want to know what is wrong," Hults said. "Is it safe? People are afraid to go out on their boats." 

People have complained, they said, to local and federal agencies, including the Coast Guard.

In a statement to FOX 5 NY, petty officer Ryan Schultz said, "The Coast Guard received several reports of a possible oil release in an unnamed canal in Babylon, NY. The Coast Guard, Babylon FD, Fire Marshalls, Suffolk, and Bay Constables responded. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Coram, along with other agencies determined the pollution as natural matter. The case is closed on the Coast Guards end, however it may still be active with other agencies."

Digesarl said water samples were taken, but as he and others wait for answers, the frustration is mounting.