Revere Beach’s Water Quality Slipped a Bit in 2021 But Still Gets an A

On Memorial Day Revere Beach was packed with swimmers and sunbathers for the unofficial start of summer.

From here on in as the weather warms to summer temperatures residents and visitors to Revere Beach are sure to enjoy months of fun-filled beach activities at the country’s oldest public beach.

Just in time for summer  Save the Harbor/Save the Bay released its annual Metropolitan Beaches Water Quality Report Card on the 2021 beach season and Revere Beach once again received high marks last year.

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Annual Beach Water Report Card, Revere Beach scored an A and with a score of 94 percent.

However, this score represented a drop of six points from its perfect score in 2020 but still above one of the beach’s lowest grades during the summer of 2019.

Revere Beach scored a 94 percent last summer after posting a 100 percent in 2020.

In 2019 Revere Beach scored an 87 percent; a 98 percent in 2018; a 98 percent in 2017; and a 98 percent in 2016.

Overall Revere Beach’s six year average for water quality is 96 percent.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini said rainfall had a significant impact on the water quality at Revere Beach as well as other Metropolitan Beaches.

The report released showed that in 2021 there were far more rain events in the region than in 2020, with 19 storms exceeding a half-inch of rain, 12 of which exceeded one inch of rainfall.

The report points out that 2020 was a relatively dry year, with only a few large summer storms and relatively fewer wet weather impacts, hence the high score Revere Beach received that year.

“Considering the wet weather, most of the region’s beaches scored quite well, earning A’s and B’s” said Mancini. “Sadly the Department of Public Health’s beach posting and flagging protocols failed to make the grade again this year.”

According to Save the Harbor’s Director of Strategy & Communications Bruce Berman working with the DPH Save the Harbor/Save the Bay can provide more accessible, timely and accurate water quality data to beachgoers, improving public access to the beach and better protecting the public’s health.

“On many beaches, simply installing an accurate and accessible rain gauge and making the information available online in real time with a QR code would provide better information,” he said. “We can – and should – do better than the current system, which relies on yesterday’s results and is a terrible predictor of today’s water quality.”

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