SWAMPSCOTT — After just one day, Swampscott Recreation chose to relocate its stand-up paddleboard program from Fisherman’s Beach to Eisman’s Beach due to water-quality concerns.
Earlier this month, the Select Board voted unanimously to allocate $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for a sewer-repair project at Fisherman’s Beach. This came on the heels of residents encouraging town leadership to take action due to biyearly test results dating back to the summer of 2022 suggesting dangerously high levels of Enterococcus bacteria in the beach’s water.
The Water and Sewer Advisory Committee recently announced that it has partnered with the Department of Public Works to test Fisherman’s Beach daily from five different locations. Results are available on a new water-quality dashboard on the town’s website. Sunday’s results revealed that all five locations had Enterococcus levels higher than the state Department of Health’s limit of 104 units per 100 milliliters, including some locations that had as many as 24,000 units per 100 milliliters.
Monday, June 24 was the only day when the paddleboard program was held at Fisherman’s Beach, and Monday’s bacterial test results later revealed that only two of the five locations, Cassidy Park and the Marshall Outfall, had high levels of Enterococci. However, as a precaution, the program will remain at Eisman’s Beach for the time being.
Select Board Chair and Board of Health Liaison MaryEllen Fletcher lamented that the program was not held at Eisman’s Beach from the start.
“I think the decision to run the program on that day was poor judgment,” Fletcher said. “As a safety precaution, the program has been moved over.”
She added that the town is planning to test every beach in Swampscott five days per week.
Resident and Save King’s Beach co-founder Andrea Amour has been a leading advocate for raising awareness of the condition of Fisherman’s Beach. While she too lamented the original decision for the program to be held in potentially unsafe conditions, she was grateful for the swift response by the town to relocate the program.
“We all want to be able to use the water and we’re lucky enough to have more than one beach to be able to have recreational programming,” Amour said. “The new water-quality dashboard for Fisherman’s Beach is a huge step in the right direction toward the town’s transparency about our beach pollution.”
Board of Health member Gargi Cooper emphasized the importance of the new dashboard as well, saying that the education of residents is one of the most important factors in ensuring safety.
“It is important that town residents are aware of the data and understand the potential risks of swimming when bacteria counts are elevated. We know there are many factors that can influence bacteria levels, such as wind, tides, and rain,” Cooper said. “It is always a good idea to avoid swimming near drain pipes on any beach, and to avoid swimming in the water 48 to 72 hours after major rainstorms.”
The Stand-up Paddleboard Program is in its first of seven consecutive weeks of operation, and is held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. As of press time, Swampscott Recreation could not be reached for comment.
