The beach plays a huge role in the lives of the residents of the North Shore community year round, myself included, but with the increasing amount of pollution and influx of waste, the question of if these beaches will stay safe is a complicated one. Rising amounts of sewage dumped into the ocean and traces of garbage, not only makes engaging with the beach unpleasant, it also contributes to the toxicity levels in the water which affects the animals. With the help of local community members, and with government and local officials, we can provide new solutions and laws to maintain the livelihood of our beaches as well as to reduce the amount of trash on our beaches

             The number of threats our beaches face are at an all time high. According to a report on King’s Beach in Boston over the course of one weekend, “more than 189,000 gallons of untreated wastewater poured directly into the beach from overwhelmed sewer pipelines” (Ottolini). This massive increase of waste imperil the wildlife as well as the general health of the public who reside on the beach. A variety of other factors contribute similar harm as explained in an environmental beach report by the EPA, that, “bacterial pollution can come from a variety of sources, including stormwater runoff, untreated sewage, combined sewer overflows, failing septic systems, leaking sewer pipes and even animal waste from pets and wildlife” (Varney). With an influx of ways for waste to reach these beaches, the issue deepens, and it raises the need for change more desperately than ever.

Another imposing adversity the beaches face currently is the health precautions being taken into account now and the impacts they have on citizens affiliated there.These beaches have become places where disease and unsanitary activity lingers. According to the Daily News in Salem the beaches located there can cause, “a range of illnesses in swimmers, including skin rashes; pinkeye; ear, nose and throat problems; dysentery; respiratory ailments and other serious health problems” (Wade). This idea of unseen serious health issues and risks being presented is concerning for residents who use the beach for swimming and recreation, and it is even more disheartening to think what could happen to the wildlife who reside there…. 

While negative cases seem to spike, there is still hope for the preservation of our beaches in the Northshore area. Through organized community beach clean-ups, protesting for better laws surrounding waste management, or even creating awareness among the public and local officials, preservation can be achieved. One alternative idea for managing the amount of sewage we dump into the ocean comes from a Rockport health agent who claims, “Over the years we’ve been requiring homeowners to replace aging septic systems, which has really improved the water quality” (Wade). Public departments from local towns and cities managing the rules and regulations of waste disposal show positive results and are all the more reason to keep pushing for reform. For a member of the community, their job could be as simple as cutting back on negative habits such as how they manage their waste. A member of the Environmental Protection Agency urges visitors to interact more conservatively by, “picking up pet wastes, not feeding birds at the beach, properly maintaining our septic systems and disposing of waste oil and other hazardous materials properly” (Varney). Simple preserval measures in managing the amount of waste produced can be hugely beneficial in regaining the beaches' cleanliness and safety. 

Some may argue that the beaches are not as unclean or threatening as implied, or even that not very much can be done to stop the amount of trash and waste entering our beaches. This can be proved untrue in many ways, one of them being by King’s beach in Swampscott which is being plagued by trash and large amounts of sewage, resulting in bad smells and bacteria-infected water. To ignore this evidence is to only provoke more unethical behavior and play into the problem. 

This major struggle of maintaining the cleansiless and safety of local beaches is increasing rapidly, and we cannot sit around and wait for this issue to solve itself. Growing up near the ocean, I have seen the beach as a safe place for as long as I can remember, so why should that have to change? As members of the Northshore community and residents of the beaches, it is crucial that everyone does their part in preserving these areas in maintaining its  beauty and safety for years to come. Whether it is something small such as picking up trash, or big like advocating for better management of sewage, it goes a long way in helping preserve the beaches that we take pride in. 

        Works Cited 

Ottolini, Meghan. “King's Beach on Boston's North Shore Plagued by Pollution.” Boston Herald, Boston Herald, 17 July 2021, bostonherald.com/2021/07/16/11-million-gallons-of-untreated-wastewater-poured-into-north-shore-beach-over-july-4th-weekend/.

Varney, Robert W. “Pollution Reduction Efforts Paying off for New England's Beaches.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 19 Sept. 2013, archive.epa.gov/region1/ra/column/web/html/beaches_ri_20040802.html. 

Wade, Christian M. “How Clean Is the Water at Your Beach?” Salem News, 12 July 2014, salemnews.com/news/local_news/how-clean-is-the-water-at-your-beach/article_4a23881f-8316-50c2-8da1-9805ba17ef2c.html.