Swampscott received a deluge of rain on Tuesday, which does seem to have affected the testing results the next day. Even though it is a super hot weekend, it is important beachgoers still check out signs posted at the beaches that indicate swimming is not suggested 48 to 72 hours after precipitation. 

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, water is considered safe when bacterial levels are at or below 104 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 ml).

An additional measure, the geometric mean, reflects average water quality over the past month, based on the five most recent test results. For marine beaches, the allowable geometric mean is 35 cfu/100 ml. The geometric mean is not reported yet due to the lack of data.

Beachgoers can view bacteria levels on the Department of Public Health’s interactive website, though the data is updated with a 24-hour delay.

Below are the July 2 results. 

Fisherman’s Beach 

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 1,785.00 cfu/100 ml

King’s Beach 

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 2,489.00 cfu/100 ml

At the time of publication, King’s Beach is closed. Residents are warned to “avoid contact” with the waters of the Nahant Bay and King’s Beach for 48 hours. 

The town put out a notification Wednesday advising residents that “due to heavy rainfall…the overflow consists, or likely consists, of untreated or partially treated sewage and waste.” 

New Ocean/Eisman’s Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 520.00 cfu/100 ml

Phillips Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml

Preston Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 10.00 cfu/100 ml

Whales Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 496.00 cfu/100 ml