New Bedford Health Officials Reopen West Beach to Swimming

NEW BEDFORD — City health officials have reopened the sections of West Beach closed Thursday due to elevated bacteria levels.

The New Bedford Health Department has announced that closed sections of West Beach have been reopened for swimming on Friday

Testing was conducted and the results of water samples collected from all municipal beaches indicate that water quality has returned to a level safe for swimming to resume at all New Bedford beaches.

On Thursday, the New Bedford Health Department announced the closure of sections of West Beach south of the pavilion to swimming for the remainder of the day due to elevated bacteria levels in the water. After water quality testing this morning, all areas are open to swimming.

The state and federal government require the monitoring of water quality at public beaches during the bathing season. The New Bedford Health Department monitors the quality at New Bedford’s public beaches throughout the summer.

The City closed all beaches on July 24 due to elevated bacteria levels that came as the result of a powerful rain storm that swept through the area the night before.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Research and Policy Center released a report that found levels of fecal bacteria were above the “Beach Action Value” threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were detected at least once at 223 locations in 2018.

City health officials will continue to monitor the water quality at all municipal beaches for any significant changes.