Dozens of beaches in Massachusetts closed for swimming due to bacteria, toxic algae in water
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains a daily online dashboard of beach closures. As of 8 a.m. Friday, there were more than 50 closures listed.
The main beach at Walden Pond in Concord is closed all summer due to construction of a new bathhouse.
Damon Pond Beach, Ashby (Bacterial Exceedance)Ashland Reservoir - Main Beach, Ashland (Bacterial Exceedance)Woodbury, Beverly (Bacterial Exceedance)Nutting Lake - Micozzi Beach @ North, Billerica (Bacterial Exceedance)Nutting Lake - Micozzi Beach @ South, Billerica (Bacterial Exceedance) Carson Beach @ Bathhouse, Boston (Bacterial Exceedance)Carson Beach @ L Street, Boston (Bacterial Exceedance) Freeman Lake, Chelmsford (Bacterial Exceedance and Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Chicopee Beach, Chicopee (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Walden Pond - Main, Concord (Other)Sandy Beach, Danvers (Bacterial Exceedance)Moses Smith Creek, Dartmouth (Bacterial Exceedance)Centennial Grove, Essex (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Learned Pond Beach, Framingham (Bacterial Exceedance) Saxonville Beach, Framingham (Bacterial Exceedance) Chilson Beach, Franklin (Bacterial Exceedance) American Legion Park, Georgetown (Bacterial Exceedance) Seymour Pond, Harwich (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Eagle Lake, Holden (Bacterial Exceedance)Pleasure Point, Holliston (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Stoddard Park, Holliston (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Sandy Point - Plum Island @ North, Ipswich (Bacterial Exceedance)Santuit Pond @ Bryants Neck, Mashpee (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Santuit Pond @ Town Landing, Mashpee (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Nahant Beach, Nahant (Bacterial Exceedance) Sesachacha Pond, Nantucket (Bacterial Exceedance) Cochituate State Park Beach, Natick (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Memorial Beach @ Wading (Bacterial Exceedance)Crystal Lake, Newton (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Frye Pond Beach, North Andover (Bacterial Exceedance) Stevens Pond - Center, North Andover (Bacterial Exceedance) Carbuncle Pond, Oxford (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Lulu Pond Beach, Pittsfield (Bacterial Exceedance) Children's Island, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Ocean Avenue, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Willow Avenue, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Pearce Lake @ Breakheart Reservation, Saugus (Bacterial Exceedance) Community Center Beach, Sharon (Bacterial Exceedance) South Pond Beach, Southwick (Bacterial Exceedance) Bass Pond @ Right, Springfield (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Camp Wilder @ Right), Springfield (Bacterial Exceedance) Paddle Club @ Right, Springfield (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)Beamans Pond, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance) Pearl Hill Pond Beach, Townsend (Bacterial Exceedance) Shangri-La, Wareham (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Lakeside, Webster (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Memorial Beach, Webster (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Hampton Ponds - Kingsley Beach, Westfield (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Hamptons Pond - Lamberts Beach, Westfield (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Crow Hill Pond Beach, Westminster (Bacterial Exceedance)Wilmington Town Beach, Wilmington (Bacterial Exceedance)
Bacterial exceedance can result from runoff pollution or sewage overflows after heavy rain. Swimming in water with too much bacteria can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory illness and itching.
The harmful cyanobacteria blooms can lead to similar problems. The algae bloom occurs when cyanobacteria multiplies quickly, causing water to become pea soup-colored and smell bad. In Plymouth last week, beachgoers and their pets were warned to avoid several ponds because the toxic algae could make them sick.
None of the beach closures are related to a rare flesh-eating bacteria that infected a swimmer at Old Silver Beach in Falmouth. Health officials there say the beach is safe for swimming as long as people make sure they do not go in the water with an exposed wound.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Omaha residents stay cool during NWS heat advisory
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Friday and Saturday, with the Douglas County Health Department urging residents to take precautions during the extreme heat.
CBS News
26 minutes ago
- CBS News
Partly cloudy, hot and humid in the Philadelphia region on Sunday. A possible late storm into the evening.
Conditions will stay fairly quiet overnight with just a small chance for patchy fog, though mid-level clouds may prevent much from forming. Temperatures will drop into the mid-60s to low 70s — warmest in the city. Sunday will be hotter, with highs reaching the upper 80s to low 90s. A cold front will approach late in the day and into Sunday night. Ahead of it, a weak disturbance could trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Some storms may be strong, with locally damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall possible, though coverage looks limited. Severe weather is UNLIKELY. As the front passes Sunday night, showers will clear out and cooler, drier air will move in for Monday and Tuesday. Highs will only reach the mid-70s to low 80s with occasional light showers possible. Looking ahead, Hurricane Erin will pass well offshore midweek, but we'll still see indirect impacts: rough surf, a high risk of rip currents, and the potential for minor coastal flooding from Monday through Thursday. Conditions improve by the end of the week with high pressure returning. After a rapid intensification, Hurricane Erin is now a powerful Category 4 storm with winds of 145 mph. It is moving WNW at 20 mph and crossing into even warmer waters, which will allow the storm to strengthen further. Winds of 150 mph or higher are expected on Sunday. If the winds reach 157 mph, the storm will become a Category 5, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The forecast track will remain north of Puerto Rico and east of the Bahamas. It will begin turning north in the next few days, passing close to Bermuda. Erin is expected to remain a strong hurricane as it travels northward off the east coast on Wednesday and Thursday, producing high surf and dangerous rip currents along the Jersey Shore. We may see some coastal flooding as well. Sunday: Stray storm. High 92, Low 71 Monday: Cloudy & cooler. High 76, Low 72 Tuesday: Clouds, some sun. High 77, Low 67 Wednesday: Scattered showers. High 80, Low 67 Thursday: Clouds, some sun. High 82, Low 68 Friday: Partly cloudy. High 84, Low 66 Saturday: Partly cloudy. High 85, Low 66 NEXT Weather Radars Hourly Forecast
CBS News
26 minutes ago
- CBS News
Isolated strong storms expected to hit parts of Massachusetts on Sunday ahead of cold front
Massachusetts is finally going to be getting some respite from the hot, muggy weather we have been having later next week, but before that, there is a possibility of isolated strong to severe thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon into the evening. The general timing for storms to pop up will be from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. There is currently a marginal risk for the isolated strong storms to become severe. The main threat with these storms will be damaging wind and frequent lightning that may result in downed power lines and trees in some areas. If you hear any thunder, head inside as quickly as possible. In addition to some widely scattered thunderstorms, residents from Boston to the Lowell areas will see high temperatures in the lower 90s with dew point temperatures in the 70s. Portions of central Massachusetts through Worcester will have temperatures in the upper 80s as well, if not right on the 90-degree bubble. It's safe to say that people should prepare for a muggy day ahead! These hot temperatures come ahead of a cold front that will bring some much-needed relief from the high heat and humidity we received on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to drop into the low to mid 70s with lows into the low to upper 50s at night. Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified on Sunday to become a major Category 5 hurricane before weakening back to a Category 4. In a little over 24 hours, Erin went from a tropical storm to boasting winds of 160 mph for part of the day. The good news is that Hurricane Erin's track is expected to stay well offshore. If New England is impacted, it would likely be in the form of choppy waves, beach erosion and high rip currents from Wednesday into Friday. WBZ-TV's Weather Team will bring you the latest updates on any potential impacts from the Hurricane as we have them.
