WHERE IS IT SAFE TO SWIM IN MASSACHUSETTS?

The Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture today held a hearing on H.3134, a bill to protect Massachusetts beaches and the public’s right to know about water quality by promoting water testing and public notification. H. 3134, the Beaches Bill, would require a statewide beach water testing policy for both coastal and inland beaches to ensure the safety of people using and enjoying Massachusetts waters.

"We’re playing a form of Russian Roulette with our beaches: some are tested weekly, but most are not," said Representative Douglas Petersen, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture. "Without a statewide testing program, it’s hit or miss for people looking for a safe place to enjoy a day at the beach."

Currently in Massachusetts, there is no accurate, consistent and uniform monitoring of public recreational waters and notification of contaminated beaches. There is only sporadic testing of inland and coastal waters. Despite the massive expenditure of nearly $4 billion to clean up Boston Harbor, citizens must use extreme caution with regard to water-related recreation like swimming and surfing, because many beaches become polluted from stormwater runoff and raw sewage overflows into Massachusetts waters.

Approximately 26 million gallons of untreated, or partially treated, sewage is washed into Massachusetts coastal water with each heavy rainfall – roughly 1.1 billion gallons annually. Despite this threat to public health, more than one in ten Massachusetts beaches has no water quality monitoring and less than half monitor at least once a week. And, even if the water is tested, safety notices are rarely posted.

"This is a remarkable situation when you consider that coastal tourists spend $1.5 billion each year in Massachusetts," said Elizabeth Sturcken, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Surfrider Foundation. "Beach tourism is an important part of the Massachusetts economy and this revenue is heavily dependent upon healthy, unpolluted water resources."

With the endorsement of the Beaches Bill, the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture will have taken the first step to protect Massachusetts beaches and people who use and enjoy them. The Beaches Bill would establish a uniform water quality standard for beach waters, a consistent beach water testing procedure, and a method for informing the public about unsafe waters by posting notices at beaches when standards are violated.

Senator Stephen Lynch, a co-sponsor of the Beaches Bill said, "As a legislature, we have an obligation to protect the residents of our state. Testing beach water and letting people know it’s safe is good public policy, just as it is to test drinking water."

"The public has a right to know whether their coastal water is clean or if it is polluted and will make them sick. The Beaches Bill, under the leadership of Representatives Douglas Petersen, (D-Marblehead) and the Natural Resources Committee solves the problem of hit-or-miss testing and notification," said Namrita Kapur, Legislative Director for the Environmental League of Massachusetts. "We are encouraged that the bill enjoys great support in the legislature, including the entire House Republican leadership, and with prompt action by the Committee, the full legislature will be able to show its support for protecting our beaches.

"If we don’t know what’s in the water, how will we know first if it’s safe, and second if it’s getting cleaner," asked Kristin Finn of the Charles River Watershed Association. "Water quality monitoring has been key to spurring remarkable improvements on the Charles River in recent years and to informing river users about health risks. These same benefits should be available to waterfront communities throughout Massachusetts," added Finn.

"Comprehensive testing is the first step in cleaning our harbors and waters," said Vivien Li, Executive Director of The Boston Harbor Association. "Without testing, Boston Harbor would not have improved from being one of the most polluted water bodies in America to one of the cleanest. The Metropolitan District Commission tests the water at the beaches in Boston Harbor every week – and some every day – during the summer and they clearly post the beach with a warning flag when it is not safe to swim. This protection offered to swimmers in Boston should be offered to everyone in Massachusetts. With favorable action by the Committee, it will be."

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research and education. The Massachusetts Chapter was formed in 1996.

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