Crystal Lake is open for swimming again after state lab tests confirmed E. coli levels dropped back to safe limits, ending a five-day closure that marked the lake's second shutdown this summer.
Mayor Marc Laredo announced the reopening Wednesday, Aug. 12, according to the Newton Beacon. The city had closed the beach Aug. 7 when routine testing found elevated bacteria and pledged to test water samples every weekday until levels fell. The turnaround came faster than expected.
"No one — people or pets — should have contact with the water," Laredo warned Aug. 7 when he announced the closure. By Wednesday afternoon, that warning was lifted.
The quick resolution is welcome news for Newton families, but the pattern behind it is less reassuring. Crystal Lake has now closed twice in six weeks. The first shutdown, in late June, was triggered by high levels of cyanobacterial algae; the lake reopened July 2 after Parks & Recreation Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly drove to a testing lab in Connecticut to pick up materials and Commissioner Marc Welch hand-delivered samples to expedite results. Admission fees were waived through July 5.
Both closures trace back to the same cause: a persistent drought across Eastern Massachusetts. The state's Drought Management Task Force declared a Level 2 (Significant Drought) for the region on June 9, drying up waterways and creating conditions where bacteria and algae thrive.
Charles River bloom adds concern
The lake's troubles are not isolated. A separate cyanobacterial algae bloom in the Charles River prompted a health advisory from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission. The affected stretch runs from Kendrick Street in Needham to Spring Street in West Roxbury, including Millennium Park and Cutler Park Reservation, areas where Newton residents walk, bike and paddle.
The advisory from Needham, posted July 24, instructs residents to avoid all water contact, keep pets away and rinse off immediately if exposure occurs. It remained in effect as of Aug. 12.
Crystal Lake's regular weekday schedule runs 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. with lifeguards on duty. Residents who swam during the closure and experience gastrointestinal issues, itchiness or cold and flu symptoms should see a doctor.
No public statement has been made about whether the city's daily weekday testing protocol will continue now that the lake has reopened, or what monitoring plan is in place for the rest of the swim season.
