SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Nearly four inches of overnight rain triggered the latest release of untreated or partially treated sewage directly into Nahant Bay via Swampscott’s King’s Beach early Wednesday morning.
The town notified residents of the release through the Lynn Water and Sewer Department as part of an ongoing pledge to be more prompt and transparent about the water dangers at one of the most polluted beaches in the state within about four hours of the release this morning.
According to the Lynn Water and Sewer Department, the release lasted about five minutes.
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Everyone is advised to avoid contact with water at the beach for at least 48 hours following the 4:30 a.m. release.
The release is the latest in the ongoing challenges facing the beach and efforts to clean up the water sufficiently so that it is safe for human contact and recreational use.
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Members of Swampscott’s Save King’s Beach, and other concerned residents, expressed outrage this spring when heavy rains triggered a series of releases that were not reported to the town and subsequently caused a delay in notification of residents to stay away from the beach that was already deemed unswimmable for about 90 percent of the rainy summer season due to high bacteria levels caused by sewage and storm runoff.
Residents asked that quicker notification be given online and that physical notifications be promptly put up at the beach to help protect those who unwittingly go into the waters of King’s Beach and Stacey’s Brook when bacteria levels can cause sickness and serious illness.
The sewage releases are deemed necessary in Lynn during heavy rain events to prevent the sewage from backing up into residents’ homes.
Swampscott does not test water quality at the beach during the offseason months but did do a test at Fisherman’s Beach ahead of last week’s Polar Plunge when it said the water showed minimal bacteria levels and was suitable for human contact.
The Select Board last month agreed to allocate $1.8 million out of its $2.5 million in state ARPA funds on sewer source elimination work on the pipes that feed Stacey’s Brook and the polluted
King’s Beach after two nights of debate amid ongoing research and efforts to mitigate bacteria in the water and pollution renders the beach and its waters unsuitable for recreational use for large portions of each summer.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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