LYNN — The state delegation met with local officials Tuesday morning at Stacey’s Brook near the Lynn–Swampscott town line to unveil a new sign, printed in both English and Spanish, urging beachgoers not to swim in the waters, and explaining why the water is not safe for swimming when the beach is closed.
On the walkway outlining the portion of King’s Beach known as Stacey’s Brook, a drainage area that for years spewed sewage waste into the beach, members of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) stood beside local delegation members Rep. Daniel Cahill, Sen. Brendan Crighton, Rep. Peter Capano, and Rep.-Elect Jenny Armini to pose near the new sign.
Members of the Lynn and Swampscott state delegations, have been working with local officials from both municipalities to make necessary repairs in stormwater and wastewater infrastructure with the aim of reducing the amount of harmful bacteria flooding the shore.
“Stacy’s pressing looks like a lot of fun and looks like a beach you might see at Cape Cod, which you know, might be fun to play and explore for for sea creatures, but it’s actually a stormwater drainage site, and it’s contaminated with wastewater from an old cracked pipes and illicit connections,” said Save the Harbor Save The Bay Executive Director Chris Mancini.
Mancini said that it can take anywhere from three to 10 years for the engineering side of the decontamination process to be completed. Earlier this year, Lynn and Swampscott received a $5 million earmark in America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to be used for decontamination at Kings Beach. Crighton said that while state and local officials use those ARPA funds to clean up the harbor, the public should be educated on the reasons why the beach is closed when the red “no swimming” flag is raised.
“This explains the flagging system which we continue to work with the DCR, DPH (Department of Public Health) on, but it’s about public information,” Crighton said.
DCR Regional Interpretive Coordinator Barbara Buls helped to design the sign posted on the walkway surrounding Stacey’s Brook. She called the contaminated waters a public health issue that is not safe for children who might be exposed to harmful bacteria swimming in the brook.
“It was a public health issue, and something we really needed to address and inform the public about,” Buls said “It’s unsafe, obviously, for children so I’m really glad that we were able to get that message across.”
Mayor Jared Nicholson mirrored Buls’ comments, saying that it’s necessary for municipal governments to inform their constituents on the dangers associated with swimming in the Brook when it’s not clean.
“There’s ongoing efforts to clean up the beach, but in the meantime, there’s a pressing public health challenge to communicate to people what the dangers are, and this sign does just that,” Nicholson said.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
