LYNN, Mass. — Beachgoers at Kings Beach say blue flags aren’t a usual theme, as the beach is notoriously known for high levels of bacteria.
At last check, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 18 beach closures due to excessive bacteria.
You may be asking, ‘How does this happen?’
Waste from animals, algae blooms and or even remnants of a rainstorm could cause bacteria to form.
If you swim in unsafe waters, it could cause respiratory or gastrointestinal health issues, so it’s important to monitor these closures.
“They also have a red algae problem that they’ve been dealing with for years so I don’t know if that contributes to the pollution,” a beachgoer told Boston 25 News.
The city of Lynn says they are taking the necessary actions to make the beach safer.
The city says bacteria levels are due to drainage flowing onto the beach from two outfalls--a combination of groundwater discharge with sewage and polluted surface runoff.
In 2021, a rating revealed that King’s Beach was unsafe for swimming more than one out of every five days.
“You can see the construction down at the end where you take a left to go on Easton Ave and they are doing something to correct that because what it’s doing is it’s storm water and everything is going right in,” another beachgoer told Boston 25 News.
An interactive dashboard on the Department of Public Health’s website shows results of water testing throughout the beach season.
The dashboard shows which beaches are open or closed and if they are closed, it will tell you why.
The dashboard is updated hourly every day, including weekends during the beach season.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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