BOSTON — Massachusetts has rolled out an interactive dashboard that allows residents to stay up to date with which beaches are open and which are closed due to unsafe levels of bacteria in the water.
The Department of Public Health’s data dashboard provides water quality testing results for the current beach season and it’s updated twice daily at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
As of Friday afternoon, 48 beaches across the state were closed for either “bacterial exceedance” or an “algae/cyanobacteria advisory.”
Some of the high levels of bacteria in lakes and ponds can be linked to heavy rainfall that caused flooding and contamination, officials said.
“If a beach is closed, do not swim or enter the water at that location to avoid risk of illness,” the state warned.
Swimming in contaminated water can cause problems skin rashes to gastrointestinal and respiratory issues.
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