Pull out your swim suits, beach chairs and umbrellas, the Wayland Town Beach at Lake Cochituate, located at 25 Parkland Drive, will be opening on May 24, Labor Day Weekend. The town has hired a full staff of certified lifeguards. The complimentary lounge chairs and rental boats are out of storage and the snack bar will be fully operational. “We are ready to go!” said Peter LeFrancois, Recreational Program Administrator.
Wayland residents can purchase a beach pass either at the gate or online at https:/waylandrec.activityreg.com/login_t2.wcs
Town officials are not anticipating any issues with water quality that will prevent the opening. The water in the Town Beach Swimming Area of Lake Cochituate is tested by the Board of Health once per week during the summer season. The Wayland Recreation Departments posts the lab results online each week of the season. They said that the beach and swim area typically tests in the single digits for E. Coli which is well below the safety threshold set by the state.
Last year the beach closed early due to an algae bloom but the advisory was lifted at the end of August. Blue-green algae, which occurs naturally in freshwater, can multiply quickly under certain conditions, creating a highly concentrated area known as a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom which can be harmful to people and animals.
The state of Massachusetts requires all public and semi-public bathing beaches to be monitored for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and on occasion, harmful algae. According to the state public health officials, the freshwater limit is stricter because elevated levels of bacteria within a smaller body of water (such as a lake versus the open ocean) can pose higher risks of illness. Some of the ways that bacteria can get in the water are: from stormwater run-off, failing or malfunctioning septic systems, wildlife and pet waste and agricultural waste.
For live updates on closures residents can subscribe to alerts at https://www.wayland.ma.us/subscribe
