Massachusetts
Nearly 50 beaches closed in Massachusetts on Sunday, Aug. 31
Nearly 50 beaches are closed across Massachusetts on Sunday, Aug. 31.
There are 49 beaches closed, most due to excessive bacteria levels, according to the state Department of Public Health.
One of those is the main beach at Walden Pond State Reservation, which will remain closed for the entirety of summer 2025 as a new, state-of-the-art $6.1 million bathhouse is constructed. Red Cross Beach at Walden Pond will remain open, but without lifeguards.
Here is the full list of beach closures and reasons for closing on Sunday:
- Ashby: Damon Pond Beach — excess bacteria
- Ashland: Ashland Reservoir — Main Beach-excess bacteria
- Beverly: Woodbury — excess bacteria
- Billerica: Nutting Lake, Micozzi Beach at North and South — excess bacteria
- Braintree: Smith Beach — excess bacteria
- Brewster: Cliff Pond at DYS and Main — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Chicopee: Chicopee Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Concord: Walden Pond – Main, due to construction
- Danvers: Sandy Beach — excess bacteria
- Essex: Centennial Grove beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Franklin: Chilson Beach — excess bacteria
- Georgetown: American Legion Park — excess bacteria
- Harwich: Seymour Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Holden: Eagle Lake — excess bacteria
- Lynn: Kings on Eastern Ave., Kimball Road and Pierce Road — excess bacteria
- Mashpee: Santuit Pond at Bryants Neck and Town Landing — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Nantucket: Sesachacha Pond — excess bacteria
- Natick: Memorial Beach (Dug Pond) at Wading — excess bacteria
- North Andover: Frye Pond Beach and Stevens Pond – Center – due to excess bacteria
- Oxford: Carbuncle Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Salem: Children’s Island, Back and Wally, and Ocean Avenue — excess bacteria
- Saugus: Pearce Lake at Breakheart Reservation — excess bacteria
- Sharon: Community Center Beach and Sharon Town Beach at Central — excess bacteria
- Sherborn: Farm Pond — harmful cyanobacteria exceedance
- Southwick: South Pond Beach — bacterial exceedance
- Springfield: Bass Pond at Right — cyanobacteria bloom, Camp Wilder at Right — excess bacteria and Paddle Club at Right— cyanobacteria bloom
- Templeton: Beamans Pond closed for campground and day-use activities — excess bacteria
- Tisbury: Hilman’s Pond — excess bacteria
- Townsend: Pearl Hill Pond Beach — excess bacteria
- Upton: Upton Town Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Wareham: Shangri-La — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Westborough: Lake Chauncy Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom
- Wilmington: Wilmington Town Beach at Center and Right — excess bacteria
- Winchendon: Lake Dennison State Park at North Camp Beach — excess bacteria
- Winthrop: Donovans and Halford — excess bacteria
What are the risks?
Swimming in beach water that has high levels of bacteria can be risky and can result in illnesses, including:
- Gastrointestinal symptoms- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
- Respiratory symptoms- sore throat, cough, runny nose and sneezing
- Dermatological symptoms- skin rash and itching
- Eye and ear symptoms- irritation, earache, itching
- Flu-like symptoms- fever and chills
Stay aware of any warnings or beach closures that indicate that the water is not safe. Check the weather forecast, avoid swimming after heavy rain, watch for signs of water pollution like discolored, fast flowing and strong smelling water, do not swim near trash or litter floating in the water, avoid swallowing the water and swim in areas designated as “swim beaches.”
Although a beach could be posted, the public can still visit the location and take part in other activities that do not involve contact with the water. This can include anything from playing sports like volleyball or frisbee to sunbathing or collecting seashells or sea glass, DPH stated.
The public can also help to reduce contamination and pollution at the beach by:
- Cleaning up after pets
- Not feeding the birds as it encourages them to hang around the beaches, which increases fecal matter
- Using public restrooms
- Picking up and throwing away trash using public restrooms or properly disposing of it at home
- Not entering the water when sick or feeling unwell
- Changing diapers and putting plastic or rubber pants, known as swim diapers, on diapered children before they enter the water
- Not dumping anything down storm drains, as water moving through these drains does not get treated at a wastewater facility and flows directly into lakes and streams
- Avoiding the use of fertilizers and pesticides in yards since these chemicals can easily carry into the surface of waters during rain events and snowmelt
- Use walkways and avoid walking on dunes to prevent erosion and preserve vegetation that filters out pollutants from runoff before they reach the beach
More details from the DPH can be found here.
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Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.
Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more.
But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt.
“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.”
The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.
“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement.
After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.
“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained.
The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m. The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers.
As libraries across western Massachusetts celebrate National Library Week from April 19 to April 25, they are honoring “the last real third space where everyone is welcome,” in the words of Greenfield Public Library Assistant Director Lisa Prolman.
According to the American Library Association, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” This year, several libraries in the region will be hosting events to highlight the roles they play in their communities.
The Athol Public Library is among the venues engaging in National Library Week festivities, with a whole host of events starting on Tuesday, April 21, with Silly Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. The library will hold multiple events each day, including “Free Book Friday” on April 24, which Assistant Director Robin Shtulman said is “really fantastic.”
Shtulman said the week celebrates and emphasizes the “freedom to read, community outreach and celebrating the staff, without whom nothing would happen.”
The Athol Public Library said in an event announcement that “whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone,” and that aspect is being emphasized this National Library Week. To name a few of the events on tap, on Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there’s a volunteer opportunity where teens will make greeting cards for senior citizens; “A Minecraft Movie” will be shown at the same date and time; and on Thursday, April 23, the library will host Scavenger Hunt Bingo for all ages. For a full list of events at the Athol Public Library, visit atholpubliclibrary.com.
In Shelburne Falls, the Arms Library will feature a gallery from the Carlos Heiligmann Collection, a series of photos of public libraries across western Massachusetts. Also in collaboration with the Arms Library, Pothole Pictures and the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club will partner for a screening of “Free For All: The Public Library” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall.
The documentary focuses on the evolution of the public library from its origins in the 19th century and the challenges it faces today, with modern-day issues such as book bans, funding cuts and debates over censorship.
It also explores the role that women’s clubs, like the one in Shelburne Falls, played in creating the modern library system. To serve their communities, women’s clubs took the lead in fundraising, collecting books and advocating for library legislation.
“Our women’s club in this town started with a group of 60 women who were gathering for lessons. … Because of the support of women in the U.S., we established over 80% of the public libraries [in the country],” said Christin Couture, program chair for the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club. “This film … I hear it’s so fascinating.”
Following the film’s screening, there will be a panel of local librarians who will engage in “lively conversation” about the history and future of public libraries. Tickets are $6, though school-age children will be admitted for free.
In Charlemont, Tyler Memorial Library will host an open house on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 2 p.m. featuring refreshments, a tour of the library and sun catcher crafting.
The Greenfield Public Library, meanwhile, is taking National Library Week in a bit of a different direction, as it is offering a book repair demonstration with Tom Hutcheson on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. The day marks William Shakespeare’s birthday.
Although the book repair session required registration and is currently full, those who are interested may be placed on a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16460179.
Greenfield Public Library Director Anna Bognolo recognized the hard work that everyone has put into making the library a success, offering a “huge thank you” to the volunteers and staff who make its varied offerings possible.
“Stop by and support your library,” Bognolo said.
“Libraries, especially in this economy, are more important than ever,” Prolman said. Referencing the library’s role as a place where community members can go that is not work or home, she added, “They are the last real third space where everyone is welcome, and we don’t charge you for being here.”
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