Region 1: EPA New England
Water Quality at New England Beaches Still Needs Improvement
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
By Robert
W. Varney
August 22, 2003
If ever there was a time to appreciate swimming at the beach, it's been during the recent spate of hot humid weather that has blanketed New England.
What better way to escape the 90-degree temperatures than a dip at the beach. But, rather than getting a cool respite, too many New Englanders are being turned back by beaches posted with "No Swimming" signs.
Last summer, 275 of the region's freshwater and saltwater beaches were closed at least one day due to pollution. The closings totaled more than 700 beach-days, including more than 100 days on Cape Cod and more than 50 days at Boston Harbor beaches.
This summer has seen fewer closures due to the lack of rain which has reduced stormwater pollution problems. Still, in just the past two weeks, beaches in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont have been closed due to bacterial pollution.
This situation is unacceptable and EPA New England, in coordination with municipalities and the states, recently launched a Clean New England Beaches Initiative to eliminate "No Swimming" days.
The initiative includes $1 million of EPA funding to support beach monitoring programs in the five coastal states, including $260,000 to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which oversees beach monitoring in Massachusetts. The program also includes an increased focus on pollution assessment work, technical assistance and designating "Flagship" beaches that will serve as models for improving beach water quality.
The initiative builds on significant improvements that have already been made in overall water quality and swimming beach monitoring programs. Massachusetts, for example, has seen enormous water quality improvements in its rivers, harbors and bays, with Boston Harbor being the most obvious example. And these improvements have spawned renewed public attention on reopening areas to swimming – attention that has led to more frequent and more sophisticated water quality monitoring to ensure that people are not at risk when they go for a swim.
Under Massachusetts law, swimming beaches must be closed when levels of certain bacteria, which indicate the presence of fecal contamination, are too high. Bacterial pollution can come from a variety of sources, including stormwater runoff, untreated sewage, combined sewer overflows, failing septic systems, leaking sewer pipes and even animal waste from pets and wildlife. Exposure to these pollutants can cause minor illnesses such as gastroenteritis or more rarely serious diseases such as hepatitis.
While communities and states are doing a better job of monitoring and sharing the results with the public, there are still too many beaches that are closed on too many days in the summer. The problem is especially chronic at high-use urban beaches which in some cases were closed nearly one of every three days last summer.
EPA is strongly committed to helping municipalities and state agencies reverse these trends. One way is by promoting pollution assessment technologies through a newly-created regional workgroup of technical experts and scientists. We're also providing technical assistance – and, where appropriate, enforcement support – to help local and state agencies to identify and reduce pollution sources. A primary focus in this regard is nonpoint pollution sources such as leaking sewers, illicit connections and runoff which can wreak havoc on water quality both in dry weather and wet weather.
We'll also be looking to our Flagship Beaches to lead the way – both in setting the bar in running effective beach monitoring programs but also in showing a commitment to take the tough steps necessary to eliminate pollution sources that are undermining water quality.
Quincy's Wollaston Beach is among the beaches we had in mind – one of three "Flagship" beaches in the Bay State, along with Provincetown Harbor and Salem city beaches. Quincy's strong leadership in tackling pollution sources along Wollaston Beach has already resulted in tangible water quality improvements and reduced closures. Much of the improvement is the result of the city's $20 million investment to repair leaking sewer pipes along the beach.
Strong support also is coming from the Metropolitan District Commission, which in addition to running daily water quality monitoring at Wollaston is abating pollution by replacing more than 100 antiquated catch basins. The MDC's efforts reflect a strong overall commitment by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to improve monitoring and beach water quality across all of Massachusetts.
This kind of local and state support will be critical in bringing an end to beach closures in New England. We'll also need help from New England's citizens. If you have a beach that has been closed due to unhealthy bacteria levels, don't just accept it. Urge your local officials to diagnose the problem and then fix it. The problem could be as simple as fixing a broken sewer pipe or cleaning catch basins. We also need to act responsibly as individuals. That means picking up the droppings from pets, maintaining our septic systems and disposing waste oil and other hazardous materials properly. Only by working together can we achieve our goal of keeping all of New England's beaches healthy and safe.
Robert W.Varney is regional administrator of EPA's New England Office