Some of the beaches were a topic of discussion during the Climate Action and Resilience Committee meeting Tuesday. Kleinfelder examined the Fish House, private seawalls, and Whales and Eisman’s Beaches and recommended that Swampscott construct barriers to protect against rising sea levels.
While the climate changes may not drastically affect beachgoers’ weekends, 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 6 results.
Fisherman’s Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 9.85 cfu/100 ml
The Swampscott Health Department continues its testing, in conjunction with the Department of Public Works. At Fisherman’s Beach the group found this week:
Pier – August 3: 32 cfu/100 ml, August 4: 1242 cfu/100 ml
Marshall Outfall – August 3: 2,894 cfu/100 ml, August 4: 500 cfu/100 ml
Cassidy Park Outfall – August 3: 2,255 cfu/100 ml, August 4: 472 cfu/100 ml
King’s Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 30.00 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 25.22 cfu/100 ml
The Swampscott Health Department continues its testing, in conjunction with the Department of Public Works. At King’s Beach the group found this week:
August 4: 2,086 cfu/100 ml
New Ocean/Eisman’s Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 20.00 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 8.71 cfu/100 ml
Phillips Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 9.50 cfu/100 ml
Preston Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 10.00 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 17.49 cfu/100 ml
Whales Beach
Single-Sample Bacterial Results – 5.00 cfu/100 ml
Geometric Mean Results – 18.26 cfu/100 ml
