New Protocol Aims To Nix Beach Closure Slip-ups

CHATHAM – After a mishap last summer, the town has clarified and bolstered its policies for closing bathing beaches in response to water quality, dangerous wildlife or threatening weather.

“This was done in response to a communication snafu last summer in regards to the closure of beaches based on water quality testing,” Health Agent Judith Giorgio told the select board last week. On July 7, a series of water quality samples showed bacterial contamination at Oyster Pond Beach, triggering a swimming closure. Because of what Giorgio called a “perfect storm” of complications, the closure was posted on the town website and in a notice to town staff and the press, but signs were never erected at the beach. People continued swimming at the beach throughout a busy summer Saturday, unaware of the closure.

Nearby resident Elaine Gibbs brought the matter to the attention of the select board, and board member Jeffrey Dykens pledged to review the closure procedures “to make sure that we had a process in place where the results of our testing get communicated as quickly as possible,” he said. With the process announced last week, “I think we’ve tightened it up,” Dykens said.

While the focus of the new procedures is the weekly bacterial testing carried out by Barnstable County, it also covers cyanobacteria outbreaks at freshwater ponds, dangerous surf and rip tides, weather, and dangers posed by sharks and other marine life, Giorgio said.

During the summer, the county lab tests water samples from 13 swim areas: Andrew Hardings Lane, Bucks Creek, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Beach, Hardings Beach, Jackknife Harbor, Lighthouse Beach, Oyster Pond, Pleasant Street, Ridgevale Beach, Goose Pond, Schoolhouse Pond and White Pond. Under the state sanitary code, some beaches can be closed following a single water sample showing high bacteria levels. Others, like Oyster Pond, require a series of water samples — or geometric mean — with average levels above state standards.

The town receives the test results 24 hours or more after samples are taken, and there are sometimes delays of a week or more for the official results to be released, Giorgio said.

Upon learning of a failed test, the health department posts signs, reports the closure to the state and issues a press release, with the closure announced on the town and county websites. Under the new protocol, the initial test results are also reported to the recreation and beaches division. “So if we’re not around, they know about it, they know the procedure,” Giorgio said. Last summer’s mix-up happened because key staff in the health and natural resources offices were unavailable.

After each action is taken in the procedure, staff confirm their work by emailing the town manager and a list of other key staff members.

Deputy Director of Recreation and Beaches Aimee Howell said her staff uses the same system of warning flags used by surrounding towns to warn of hazards, “whether it be surf conditions or dangerous marine life.” Popular beaches also have signs explaining the meanings of the different flags, “and our beach staff would be there to inform the public as well,” she said.

Select board member Shareen Davis said the town procedures seem sound, but swimmers could still be at risk if water quality testing results come days or weeks late.

“The delay in getting the test results seems to be still a little problematic,” she said. Some towns have protocols in place allowing them to close beaches following heavy rains, which typically produce an increase in bacteria in the water. “I’m wondering if we can look at that as a possibility” for Chatham’s more vulnerable beaches, Davis said. Dykens agreed.

“Weekly [testing] seems not often enough for the height of the season,” he said.

Giorgio said weekly tests are in line with the most recent state beach protocols, and testing more frequently would pose a challenge.

“In order for us to do it more, we would need to have staff people taking samples and bringing them to the lab,” she said. Even if that were done, there are limitations associated with spot-checking water quality at beaches, since the tests reflect bacterial levels at a single point in time.

“They can be bad one day and the next day it can be fine,” she said.

Another concern involves summertime blooms of cyanobacteria in local ponds. Toxins released by blue green algae can cause sickness to people and animals exposed to the water, and the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod regularly checks water quality at key ponds around the Cape, reporting results to the town. If the town confirms the danger, it will trigger a similar procedure to close the beach to swimmers and post warning signs.