Two dozen beaches closed for swimming in Massachusetts: See the list
Two dozen beaches are closed for swimming in Massachusetts Sunday, mostly because of unsafe levels of bacteria in the water.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health publishes a dashboard every day of beach closures.
The main beach at the famed Walden Pond in Concord is closed all summer due to the construction of a new bathhouse.
Beach closures in Massachusetts
Damon Pond Beach, Ashby (Bacterial Exceedance)
Ashland Reservoir - Main Beach, Ashland (Bacterial Exceedance)
Hopkinton Reservoir - Upper Beach, Ashland (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
Keyes Beach ( Sea Street), Barnstable (Bacterial Exceedance)
Brackenbury, Beverly (Bacterial Exceedance)
Patuisset, Bourne (Bacterial Exceedance)
Upper Mill Pond, Brewster (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
Walden Pond - Main, Concord (Other)
Sandy Beach, Danvers (Bacterial Exceedance)
Moses Smith Creek, Dartmouth (Bacterial Exceedance)
Cook's Brook, Eastham (Bacterial Exceedance)
S. Sunken Meadow, Eastham (Bacterial Exceedance)
Eagle Lake, Holden (Bacterial Exceedance)
Carbuncle Pond, Oxford (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
Children's Island - Back, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance)
Ocean Avenue, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance)
Camp Wilder @ Right, Springfield (Bacterial Exceedance)
Kings, Swampscott (Bacterial Exceedance)
Beamans Pond - Campground, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance)
Beamans Pond - Day Use, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance)
Pearl Hill Pond Beach, Townsend (Bacterial Exceedance)
Upton Town Beach, Upton (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
Lake Dennis State Park @ North Camp Beach, Winchendon (Bacterial Exceedance)
Donovans, Winthrop (Bacterial Exceedance)
Why are the beaches closed?
Bacterial exceedance is often caused by runoff pollution or sewage overflows after heavy rain. Last weekend, about three dozen beaches were closed for swimming following torrential downpours.
The harmful cyanobacteria blooms that are closing a handful of swimming spots result from warm, slow-moving water that is full of nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorous, the Centers for Disease Control says.
Swimming in water with too much bacteria can cause gastrointestinal or respiratory illness, as well as skin rashes and itching.