Weatherized No Swimming Sign Posted at Stacey’s Brook

LYNN - DCR unveiled an improved sign warning beachgoers of the public health risk of swimming at Stacey’s Brook on Kings Beach, explaining how the area consistently receives discharge of groundwater mixed with sewage and polluted surface runoff containing bacteria, often resulting in concentrations significantly higher than safe swimming levels. The original sign was placed at King's Beach on the Lynn/Swampscott line in October of 2022 thanks to a joint effort by Lynn, Swampscott, DCR, and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. The updated sign includes weatherproofing features that allow it to be posted year-round. Thanks to the work of Mike Tomaiolo and his team at DCR, the no swimming sign now features a weatherized covering along with a sturdier frame and posts to ensure that residents can access public information about Stacey’s Brook.

The new sign comes as the Kings Beach Steering Committee, made up of state and local officials as well as community leaders, continues to advocate for action to mitigate water quality issues at Kings Beach. In January, the committee sent a letter to Rebecca Tepper, the Secretary of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, explaining the environmental justice issue at Stacey’s Brook and proposing a UV treatment facility to address bacteria levels on the beach. Both Lynn and Swampscott continue to pursue source elimination efforts to identify and resolve illicit connections to their drainage systems.

Next steps focus around securing funding for the UV disinfection plant. The commission estimates costs for the facility to be around $25,000,000 to cover “the construction of a 1,550-square-foot building, the installation of a screening and hydrodynamic separator, and the purchase and installation of other equipment required for water quality treatment and improvement.”