Water quality at Boston-area beaches reaches 6-year low

A new report warns swimmers that the water quality at Boston-area beaches reached a six-year low in 2021, dropping seven percentage points from 2020, The Boston Globe reported Monday.

Environmental group Save the Harbor/Save the Bay rated the region’s overall water quality safety at 86%, far below the average rating for all beaches over the last six years, which was 92%, the Globe reported.

The rating is determined by the amount of bacteria in a sample, the newspaper reported. The decrease in water quality was due to an increase in rainfall in 2021 compared to 2020, it reported.

In 2020, the Globe reported, 19 storms delivered half an inch of rainfall, while 12 storms poured down over an inch of rain.

Still, the newspaper wrote, the report said people should not judge water quality based on year-to-year ratings, as the ratings can change drastically.

Instead, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay relies on multi-year averages for evaluating overall water quality in a region.

The “Boston Harbor Region” beaches include 15 beaches spanning from Nahant Beach to Nantasket Beach, which are tested between late May and Labor Day, the newspaper wrote.

The rating is based on the percentage of samples taken that comply with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s limit for bacteria in a single sample.

Despite the overall drop in quality, the newspaper reported, four beaches received perfect scores:  Pleasure Bay and City Point Beach in South Boston, Nantasket Beach in Hull, and Winthrop Beach.

“Considering the wet weather, most of the region’s beaches scored quite well, earning A’s and B’s,” Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s executive director Chris Mancini in a statement to the Globe.

But King’s Beach in Lynn and Swampscott and Tenean Beach in Dorchester scored poorly, earning ratings of 68% and 63%, respectively.

The Globe reported that the Public Health Department’s beach posting and flagging protocols also scored poorly.

“We believe that there are better ways to provide timely and accurate information about beach water quality to those who need it most and would like to work with DPH and other stakeholders to get it right,” Mancini said in the statement.

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

To comment, please verify your email address

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com