3 dozen beaches closed in Massachusetts, many due to high bacteria levels
Three dozen beaches were closed for swimming in Massachusetts on Friday. The majority of those closures are due to high levels of bacteria in the water after flooding rain drenched parts of the state on Thursday.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health publishes a daily dashboard of water quality test results at local beaches. Some swimming spots are closed for other reasons. The main beach at Walden Pond in Concord is closed all summer due to construction of a new bathhouse.
Below is the list of closures as of 10 a.m. Friday.
Damon Pond Beach, Ashby (Other)
Ashland Reservoir - Main Beach, Ashland (Bacterial Exceedance)
Brackenbury, Beverly (Bacterial Exceedance)
Tenean, Boston (Rainfall)
Patuisset, Bourne (Bacterial Exceedance)
Upper Mill Pond, Brewster, (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)
South Pond, Brookfield (Bacterial Exceedance)
Jackknife Harbor, Chatham (Bacterial Exceedance)
Walden Pond - Main, Concord (Other)
Sandy Beach, Danvers (Bacterial Exceedance)
Jones Town Beach North, Dartmouth (Combined Sewer Overflow/Sanitary Sewer Overflow event)
Jones Town Beach South, Dartmouth (CSO/SSO event)
Moses Smith Creek, Dartmouth (Bacterial Exceedance)
S. Sunken Meadow, Eastham (Bacterial Exceedance)
Washburn Island Campers Beach, Falmouth (Bacterial Exceedance)
Kings @ Eastern Ave, Lynn (Bacterial Exceedance)
Kings @ Kimball Road, Lynn (Bacterial Exceedance)
Kings @ Pierce Road, Lynn (Bacterial Exceedance)
Grace Oliver, Marblehead (Bacterial Exceedance)
South Cape Beach, Mashpee (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wrights Pond @ Deep End, Medford (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wrights Pond @ Shallow End, Medford (Bacterial Exceedance)
Frye Pond Beach, North Andover (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wollaston @ Channing Street, Quincy (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wollaston @ Milton Street, Quincy (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wollaston @ Rice Road, Quincy (Bacterial Exceedance)
Wollaston @ Sachem Street, Quincy (Bacterial Exceedance)
Children's Island - Back, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance)
Willow Avenue, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance)
Leeside, Swansea (Bacterial Exceedance)
Beamans Pond - Campground, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance)
Beamans Pond - Day Use, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance)
Crow Hill Pond Beach, Westminster (Bacterial Exceedance)
Shannon Beach @ Upper Mystic, Winchester (Bacterial Exceedance)
Donovans, Winthrop (Bacterial Exceedance)
Halford, Winthrop (Bacterial Exceedance)
The bacterial exceedance can be attributed to stormwater runoff or sewage overflows after heavy rain. The torrential downpours on Thursday morning were described as a "1 in 200 year event," with more than 6 inches of rain falling in some towns south of Boston.
The risks of swimming in water with high bacteria levels include gastrointestinal or respiratory illness, as well as skin rashes and itching.
