High Bacteria Levels Close Sandy Beach In Danvers To Swimming

DANVERS, MA — Sandy Beach in Danvers is closed to swimming just in time for the return of the sun and hot summer temperatures.

The town said this week's heavy rain caused stormwater runoff that likely led to bacteria limits that exceeded acceptable levels. The town closed the beach to swimming until further notice late Wednesday afternoon.

Swimming in water with elevated bacteria levels can cause nausea, ear and throat infections and rashes in people and animals.

The water will be tested each day to determine when bacteria levels subside and it can reopen to swimming.

Grace Oliver Beach in Marblehead has been closed for two weeks because of similar bacteria elevation.

A recent report from Environmental Massachusetts called Sandy Beach one of the top 10 most potentially dangerous-for-swimming beaches in the state based on bacteria tests in 2020. King's Beach on the Swampscott/Lynn line is rated as the most polluted beach via the metrics used in that report.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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