It hasn’t been the best summer so far for local beachgoers. Following a rainy June and Fourth of
July holiday, many popular local beaches, including Constitution Beach in East Boston and Revere
Beach, were closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels. As of Tuesday, July 11, Swim at Your
Own Risk signs because of the high bacteria levels were posted at Kings Beach and Lynn Beach in
Lynn, and Donovan’s Beach in Winthrop. The 53 beaches closed statewide early this week were
actually an improvement over last week, when the heavy holiday weekend rains led to over 70
closures. Revere Beach and Short Beach in Revere and Constitution Beach in East Boston were closed
to swimming for a time last week, but were reopened to swimming this week.“ The Town of Winthrop
conducts weekly tests of the water quality of 5 beaches in Winthrop for levels of Enterococci which is
an indicator of fecal pollution and possible enteric pathogens,” Winthrop health officials stated.
“When the level exceeds 104 MPN (most probable number)/100 mL, the Town of Winthrop closes the
beach. High levels are usually due to heavy rainfall and usually return to normal levels after a
retest. ”In Revere, DCR and Revere DPW test the water quality weekly during the summer for a
specific type of bacteria; when bacteria levels get too high, the water can become unsafe for
swimming or ingestion. The high bacteria levels typically happen due to high rain events or
circumstances that lead to substantial run-off discharging into waterways. The water will continue to
be tested weekly. Swimming or ingesting contaminated water could result in symptoms like nausea,
diarrhea, stomach cramps, chills or fever. Revere officials stated that if anyone is concerned about
their potential exposure to contaminated water when signage is posted to contact their healthcare
provider. To minimize illness and injury associated with swimming, and to notify the public about the
quality of beach water, the state’s Department of Public Health collects beach water quality data from
local health departments and the DCR. All public and semi-public bathing beaches in Massachusetts
are monitored for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and on occasion, harmful algae. Monitoring occurs
during the beach season, which begins when the school year finishes in mid-June and ends during the
weekend of Labor Day.