On a sunny Wednesday in Massachusetts, more than 40 beaches were closed due to bacteria in the water, according to the state’s public water quality dashboard. Out of the 42 closures, 33 were because of excess bacteria, while the remaining closures were attributed to harmful cyanobacteria blooms, sewer overflows, and other reasons. The closures spanned from Great Barrington in Western Massachusetts to Boston in Eastern Massachusetts to beaches on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Specific beaches that were closed included Lake Mansfield in Great Barrington, Tenean Beach in Boston, three beaches in Salem, Bucks Creek and Oyster Pond in Chatham, Washington Street beach and Miacomet Pond on Nantucket. The closures were due to either excess bacteria or harmful cyanobacteria blooms.
The state’s public water quality dashboard warns individuals not to swim or enter the water at closed beaches to avoid the risk of illness. The dashboard is updated twice a day and shows the results of recent water quality tests at more than 1,100 public and semi-public beaches in the state.
Despite the closures, state officials assure that the beaches are still safe for recreational activities other than swimming. The list of closures is available on the dashboard for public viewing. The closures were varied across the state and were primarily due to water quality issues.
Source
Photo credit www.masslive.com