On a warm, dry day across Massachusetts, more than 40 beaches across the state were closed, primarily due to bacteria in the water, according to a report. State Public Water Quality Dashboard.
As of the 9:30 a.m. dashboard update, a total of 42 beaches were closed across Massachusetts.
The closures ranged from Great Barrington in western Massachusetts to Boston and Quincy in eastern Massachusetts, to beaches on Cape Cod and the Islands. Of the 42 beaches closed in the state as of Saturday morning, nearly all (36 of 42) were due to bacterial overgrowth in the water.
The remaining six closures were due to harmful cyanobacteria blooms and “other” reasons.
- read moreHere are the best and worst beaches near Boston, according to the report.
In Great Barrington, Lake Mansfield was closed, but the dashboard only listed “other” as the reason. In the eastern part of the state, three Boston beaches were closed: Constitution Beach in East Boston, and Tinian and Malibu Beaches in Dorchester. In Quincy, four sections of Wollaston Beach were closed Saturday due to bacterial overgrowth.
On the Cape, Clipper Lake in Dennis was closed due to bacterial overgrowth, the same reason Washington Street Beach on Nantucket was closed. Mia Comet Pond on Nantucket was also closed Saturday, but the dashboard listed a harmful cyanobacteria bloom as the reason.
“If a beach is closed, do not swim or enter the water at that location to avoid the risk of illness,” the dashboard warns.
The dashboard is updated twice a day (once in the morning and once in the afternoon) and shows recent water quality testing results from beaches across the state. More than 1,100 public and semi-public beaches across the state are regularly monitored.
State officials say that despite the closures, beaches are still completely safe for recreational activities other than swimming.
A full list of closures can be found below. If you don’t see the table, click here.