MASSACHUSETTS — After a week of mass beach closures due to excessive bacteria levels in Masschusetts, the number of closed beaches has dropped — but there are a handful of beaches newly closed since the last update Wednesday.

The number of closed swimming beaches across the state fell from 20 Wednesday to 14 Tuesday as several previously-closed beaches in Templeton, Worcester, Lynn, Clarksburg, Westford, Townsend, Winchester and Quincy have reopened.

However, the following five beaches have now been added to the list of CLOSED beaches in Massachusetts Thursday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Milton, MA

Houghton’s Pong @ Bathhouse

Tenean

Concord, MA

Walden Pond – Main

Meanwhile, the following beaches have now been closed for days due to excessive bacteria levels:

Charlemont, MA

Great Barrington, MA

Old Maid’s Park

Saugus, MA

Pearce Lake @ Breakheart Reservation

Greenfield, MA

Greenfield Municipal Bathing Beach

Templeton, MA

Beamans Pond – Day Use

The following beach has been closed for days due to harmful cyanobacteria bloom:

Natick, MA

The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation opened 81 freshwater and saltwater beaches for the season just before Memorial Day weekend. But the fun quickly came to a halt by the following weekend, when many beaches began to close.

“In general, when beaches are closed, elevated bacteria is a result of a preceding rainstorm is responsible for the closure,” a representative for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health told Patch Wednesday. “This is because the rain washes the bacteria or excessive nutrients on land into the water and the nutrients allow small populations of bacteria to rapidly reproduce to unsafe levels.”

See Also: MA Sets Date For DCR Pools To Open: 2024 Swimming Season

The water testing frequency at beaches in the state varies from beach to beach, but tests occur anywhere from daily to monthly, officials said, adding that testing frequency depends on how likely the beach is to have water quality issues.

Beaches found to have high bacteria levels are reopened for swimming after a test result shows bacteria levels below DPH standards.

According to the DPH, Swimming in unsafe waters can cause illnesses with the following symptoms:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Respiratory symptoms like sore throat, cough, runny nose, and sneezing
• Dermatological symptoms like skin rash and itching
• Eye and ear symptoms like irritation, earache, and itching
• Flu-like symptoms like fever and chills

Most of these symptoms are minor, but a more serious illness may occasionally occur, officials said. Children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk for illness.

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