Travel
Water Quality Safety Grades For 15 MA Beaches Released
More than half of the beaches received perfect scores, but two were flagged by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
More than half of the 15 beaches tested last year in Greater Boston received a top water quality score from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. The nonprofit released the scores Sunday, identifying seven beaches to get 100 percent and six more over 90 percent, meaning the bacteria levels there are safe for swimming under Massachusetts public health standards.
Two beaches - King's Beach in Lynn and Swampscott and Tenean Beach in Dorchester, were below the 80 percent mark. It was the continuation of a downward trend for those beaches, which have six-year averages in the low 80s now.
Bruce Berman, the nonprofit's director of strategy and communications, said Boston Water and Sewer are addressing illicit connections and Lynn and Swampscott plan on improving their sewer and water systems, but "it is a slow go and there are no easy fixes."
Find out what's happening in Bostonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The beaches that got 100 percent marks last year were South Boston's M Street and Pleasure Bay beaches, Dorchester's Savin Hill Beach, Hull's Nantasket Beach, Nahant Beach, Winthrop Beach and Revere's Short Beach.
M Street Beach has a 100 percent average over six years.
Find out what's happening in Bostonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The testing doesn't encompass all of Massachusetts beaches. Here is the 2018 score, along with the six-year average for each beach tested:
- M Street Beach - South Boston: 100 percent/100 percent
- City Point Beach - South Boston: 97 percent/99 percent
- Pleasure Bay - South Boston: 100 percent/99 percent
- Nantasket Beach - Hull: 100 percent/99 percent
- Carson Beach - South Boston: 93 percent/98 percent
- Nahant Beach: 100 percent/98 percent
- Revere Beach: 98 percent/97 percent
- Winthrop Beach: 100 percent/97 percent
- Savin Hill Beach - Dorchester: 100 percent/96 percent
- Constitution Beach - East Boston 94 percent/95 percent
- Wollaston Beach - Quincy: 93 percent/91 percent
- Short Beach - Revere: 100 percent/91 percent
- Malibu Beach - Dorchester: 91 percent/89 percent
- King's Beach - Lynn/Swampscott: 75 percent/83 percent
- Tenean Beach - Dorchester: 78 percent/80 percent
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
