by On one of the hottest Fridays of the summer, temperatures reached the upper 90s, forcing the closure of over three dozen beaches in Massachusetts.
The interactive beach water quality dashboard of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) lists 31 beaches, including both coastal beaches and inland ponds, that have been closed because of harmful bacterial or algae bloom levels.
Since last weekend, there have been six more beach closures.
Saturday’s temperatures are predicted to reach the 80s, and the partly sunny skies will entice potential beachgoers. To prevent becoming sick, health officials advise staying out of the water if a beach is closed.
According to state legislation, more than 1,100 public and semi-public beaches must have their bacterial levels monitored by local health officials. Depending on how vulnerable each beach is to issues with water quality, testing frequency varies from daily to monthly.
According to the DPH, leaky septic systems, sewer overflows, farm runoff, animal waste, and rain washing pollutants into the water can all raise the levels of germs on beaches.
During beach season, the dashboard is updated hourly from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, including weekends.
The most recent information as of Friday, July 25 at 4 p.m. is included in the list below.
Massachusetts beach closures as of Friday, July 25, 2025
The Ashland
- Hopkinton Reservoir-Upper Beach (DCR)
Ayer
- Ayer Town Beach
The Barnstable
- Keyes Beach (Sea Street)
Beverly
- Brackenbury
Brewster
- Upper Mill Pond
Concord
- Walden Pond Main (DCR)
Danvers
- Sandy Beach
Dartmouth
- Moses Smith Creek
Eastham
- S. Sunken Meadow
- Cook s Brook
Holden
- Eagle Lake
Marblehead
- Grace Oliver
Mashpee
- Santuit Pond @ Town Landing
- Santuit Pond @ Bryants Neck
Methuen
- Forest Lake: Swimming Beach
Oxford
- Carbuncle Pond
Pittsfield
- Lulu Pond Beach (DCR)
Provincetown
- Winston Avenue
Salem
- Ocean Avenue
Salem
- Children s Island Back
Springfield
- Camp Wilder @ Right
Swampscott
- Kings
Templeton
- Beamans Pond Campground (DCR)
Templeton
- Beamans Pond Day Use (DCR)
Townsend
- Pearl Hill Pond Beach (DCR)
Upton
- Upton Town Beach
Winchendon
- Lake Dennison State Park (DCR) @ North Camp Beach
- Lake Dennison State Park (DCR) @ Day Use Beach
Winthrop
- Halford
- Donovans
The Yarmouth
- Gray s
As a freelance journalist, Morgan Rousseau covers a range of local and regional news for Boston.com.
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