There beach quality seems very good for the final week of summer before school resumes. That said, it is important to 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. 

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 August 20 results. 

Fisherman’s Beach 

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 7.58 cfu/100 ml

King’s Beach 

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 10.00 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 10.84 cfu/100 ml

New Ocean/Eisman’s Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 10.84 cfu/100 ml

Phillips Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 8.27 cfu/100 ml

Preston Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 6.60 cfu/100 ml

Whales Beach

Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 10.00 cfu/100 ml

Geometric Mean Results – 12.11 cfu/100 ml