NAHANT — Tudor Beach is closed for swimming for the foreseeable future due to a high presence of bacteria in the water, officials announced Thursday.
According to the Commonwealth Department of Public Health’s data, water samples taken from Tudor Beach contained more than the acceptable levels of enterococcus bacteria.
The warning comes while the Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach are surveying residents in regards to their concerns about the environmental safety and willingness to swim at the notoriously problematic King’s Beach.
The Massachusetts enterococcus bacterial standard is 104 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters of water. The sample taken on June 27 had more than double that at 218 cfu/100 mL. According to the Bureau of Health’s data, the last time the levels exceeded the standard was in May 2019.
Enterococci bacteria are considered indicator bacteria, meaning that while they are not particularly harmful to humans, a larger than normal number indicates possible fecal contamination and the presence of other disease-causing organisms and viruses.
“These pathogens can sicken swimmers and others who use rivers and streams for recreation or eat raw shellfish or fish. Other potential health effects can include diseases of the skin, eyes, ears, and respiratory tract,” the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement. “Eating fish or shellfish harvested from waters with fecal contamination can also result in human illness.”
Emma Fringuelli can be reached at [email protected].
