Mass. beach closures: Almost 40 beaches closed on Thursday, July 31

With rain expected to drench parts of Massachusetts on Thursday and potentially bring flooding , several beaches are closed off for the day.

Most of the 37 beaches closed in Massachusetts are due to high levels of bacteria found in the water, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). Puffers Pond on Mill Street in Amherst, Southwick’s South Pond Beach and Halford Beach in Winthrop are among the latest beaches to close because of bacteria levels.

Other beach closures are because of algae blooms, also referred to as harmful cyanobacteria blooms. Some harmful cyanobacteria produce toxins that can be dangerous at low levels. Algae blooms are most common in bodies of water late in the summer and in the fall, according to DPH.

The Walden Pond State Reservation’s beach in Concord will continue to be closed for the summer for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art $6.1 million bathhouse . Red Cross Beach at Walden Pond will remain open with no lifeguards.

• Amherst:Puffers Pond at Mill Street — bacterial exceedance

• Ashland: Hopkinton Reservoir, upper beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Barnstable: Keyes Beach on Sea Street — bacterial exceedance

• Beverly: Brackenbury Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Brewster: Upper Mill Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Chelmsford: Freeman Lake — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Clarksburg: Mauserts Pond — bacterial exceedance

• Concord: main beach at Walden Pond — bathhouse construction

• Danvers: Sandy Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Dartmouth: Moses Smith Creek — bacterial exceedance

• Framingham: Learned Pond Beach, Waushakum Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Georgetown: American Legion Park — bacterial exceedance

• Holden: Eagle Lake — bacterial exceedance

• Ipswich:Plum Island at Sandy Point — bacterial exceedance

• Mashpee: Santuit Pond at Bryants Neck and Town Landing — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Methuen: Forest Lake’s swimming beach — bacterial exceedance

• Middleborough:Camp Yomechas — bacterial exceedance

• North Attleborough: Falls Pond — bacterial exceedance

• Oxford: Carbuncle Pond — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Pittsfield: Lulu Pond Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Provincetown: Winston Avenue — bacterial exceedance

• Salem: back end of Children’s Island; Ocean Avenue — bacterial exceedance

• Southwick:South Pond Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Springfield: Camp Wilder Beach, right side — bacterial exceedance

• Swampscott: Kings Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Templeton: Beamans Pond, campground and day use — bacterial exceedance

• Townsend: Pearl Hill Bond Beach — bacterial exceedance

• Upton: Upton Town Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Wareham:Shangri-La — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Westfield: Hampton Ponds at Kingsley Beach and Lamberts Beach — harmful cyanobacteria bloom

• Wilmington: Wilmington Town Beach, center and right side — bacterial exceedance

• Winchendon: North Camp Beach at Lake Dennison State Park — bacterial exceedance

• Winthrop: Donovans Beach, Halford Beach — bacterial exceedance

What are the risks?

Swimming in beach water that has high levels of bacteria can be risky and can result in illnesses, including:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain

• Respiratory symptoms- sore throat, cough, runny nose and sneezing

• Dermatological symptoms- skin rash and itching

• Eye and ear symptoms- irritation, earache, itching

• Flu-like symptoms- fever and chills

Stay aware of any warnings or beach closures that indicate that the water is not safe. Check the weather forecast, avoid swimming after heavy rain, watch for signs of water pollution like discolored, fast flowing and strong smelling water, do not swim near trash or litter floating in the water, avoid swallowing the water and swim in areas designated as “swim beaches.”

Although a beach could be posted, the public can still visit the location and take part in other activities that do not involve contact with the water. This can include anything from playing sports like volleyball or frisbee to sunbathing or collecting seashells or sea glass, DPH stated.

The public can also help to reduce contamination and pollution at the beach by:

• Cleaning up after pets

• Not feeding the birds as it encourages them to hang around the beaches, which increases fecal matter

• Using public restrooms

• Picking up and throwing away trash using public restrooms or properly disposing of it at home

• Not entering the water when sick or feeling unwell

• Changing diapers and putting plastic or rubber pants, known as swim diapers, on diapered children before they enter the water

• Not dumping anything down storm drains, as water moving through these drains does not get treated at a wastewater facility and flows directly into lakes and streams

• Avoiding the use of fertilizers and pesticides in yards since these chemicals can easily carry into the surface of waters during rain events and snowmelt

• Use walkways and avoid walking on dunes to prevent erosion and preserve vegetation that filters out pollutants from runoff before they reach the beach

More details from the DPH can be found here .

Read the original article on MassLive .