Which MA Beaches Are Closed As Hurricane Erin High Surf Warnings, Rip Currents Persist?

MASSACHUSETTS — Nearly 60 Massachusetts beaches remained off limits to swimming as of Friday morning, while the entire coastline was under a high surf and rip current alert as Hurricane Erin passed a few hundred miles offshore.

Those heading to the ocean were urged to be very cautious when going into the water because of the dangerous conditions in one of the final full weekends of summer. However, people opting for local ponds and lakes may also be out of luck with beaches closed because of bacterial contamination, algae blooms and other factors.

• Hurricane Erin Brings Dangerous Swimming, Surfing, Erosion To MA Coastline

There should be bright sunshine throughout the weekend with the National Weather Service calling for near-perfect late-summer weather Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The high temperature on Friday is 80 degrees with gusty winds on the Cape and Islands. Saturday will be the warmest day of next week with a high of 86 degrees, while Sunday is forecast to be sunny with a high of 84.

• Country Superstar + Summer Sidewalk Sale At Popular Shopping Center And 13 MA Events This Weekend

Most of the 58 beaches were closed on Friday morning because of high bacteria levels caused by storm runoff and other means of fecal contamination, while a small number of the ponds are suffering from a harmful algae bloom. Water quality at public beaches in Massachusetts is required to be monitored by local public health departments.

When the water quality is unsafe, the beach must be "posted" with a sign indicating that swimming is unsafe and may cause illness. The main beach at Walden Pond in Concord is closed for the season because of safety concerns associated with the construction of a new bathhouse.

Massachusetts beaches closed as of 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday include:

• Amesbury Lake Gardner
• Beverly Woodbury Beach
• Billerica Micozzi Beach at Nutting Lake (2 locations)
• Braintree Smith Beach
• Chatham Bucks Creek
• Chicopee Beach
• Concord Walden Pond Main DCR Beach
• Danvers Sandy Beach
• Dartmouth Hidden Bay
• Dartmouth Jones Town Beach North
• Dartmouth Jones Town Beach South
• Essex Centennial Grove
• Framingham Learned Pond Beach
• Framingham Saxonville Beach
• Franklin Chilson Beach
• Georgetown American Legion Park
• Harwich Seymour Pond
• Holden Eagle Lake
• Holliston Pleasure Point
• Holliston Stoddard Park
• Mashpee Bryant's Neck
• Mashpee Town Landing
• Nantucket Sesachacha Pond
• Natick Cochituate State Park
• Natick Dug Pond
• New Marlborough York Lake Beach
• North Andover Frye Pond
• North Andover Stevens Pond
• Oxford Carbuncle Beach
• Quincy Merrymount Beach
• Quincy Wollaston Beach (4 locations)
• Revere Short Beach
• Salem Children's Island (Front)
• Salem Children's Island (Wally)
• Salem Ocean Avenue
• Saugus Pearce Lake Breakheart Reservation
• Sharon Community Center Beach
• Southwick South Pond Beach
• Springfield Bass Pond
• Springfield Camp Wilder
• Springfield Paddle Club
• Tilman Hilman's Point
• Townsend Pearl Hill Pond Beach
• Wareham Shangri-La
• Webster Lakeside
• Webster Memorial Beach (2 locations)
• Wilmington Town Beach (2 locations)
• Winchendon Lake Dennison (2 locations)
• Winthrop Donovans Beach
• Winthrop Halford Beach
• Winthrop Beach

The bacteria used as indicator organisms to test the waters at beaches are Enterococci and E. coli. Marine beaches are tested for the presence of Enterococci. Freshwater beaches are tested either for the presence of E. coli or Enterococci. Enteric bacteria are indicator organisms found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and humans, often associated with fecal contamination.

An elevated presence of these organisms indicates the water may not be safe for human or animal consumption or contact, and cause symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal pain to eye and ear discomfort to flu-like symptoms.

Most of these symptoms are minor, but occasionally a more serious illness may occur. Children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of developing serious symptoms.

Some beach areas may remain open for recreational activities, though any contact with the water is strongly discouraged.

More on Patch:

• These Are The Top 10 Employers In MA In Forbes Ranking
• Adorable Baby Giraffe At Southwick's Zoo Already Stealing Hearts

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)