From the mayor’s email newsletter tonightHigh Levels of Bacteria at Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake is closed until further notice.
Water test results obtained just a few minutes ago from a sample taken on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, indicate high levels of bacteria. Crystal Lake is not safe for swimming by people or pets.
The high levels of bacteria may be the result of the recent heavy rain. A number of water bodies in the State have been closed. Resampling will be conducted tomorrow, Friday, July 3, 2020; the resampling results are expected by Sunday, July 5, 2020.
We will post signs at the Lake first thing tomorrow.
This is my shocked face…
But Crystal Lake was already closed by the city…. back in June, when they didn’t open the beach and did not hire the lifeguards. So, this is a 2nd closing? A closing of illegal swimming?
Exactly JLWood. Very mixed messages being sent. Does this mean the city will enforce the fact that there is no legal swimming at Crystal Lake. Or just an added message that you swim at your own risk
Its telling people that it is not safe to swim in Crystal Lake at the moment.
….but you’re not supposed to be swimming at Crystal Lake this summer anyway, right??
Gath Pool is closed as well, but you can’t sneak in there to swim. I regret that the city didn’t keep it open with limited, well-regulated entry and social distancing. To be sure, swim instruction at either locale this summer didn’t make sense.
Frankly, from the beginning, when it was still safe to swim, it would have been better to open Crystal Lake with monitors at all three entry points : Cronin’s Cove, Levingston Cove, and the waterfront. These monitors, and perhaps a few lifeguards at the waterfront, would limit entry to safe numbers and enforce social distancing. The city could have required the purchase of a pass to fund these monitors.
At this moment, with high bacteria levels, no one should swim there anyhow. Given the mildness of the preceding winter, the algae bloom will arrive early this year as well- the prognosis is bad. Still, in retrospect, tolerating swimming without supervising it seems foolish. On hot days Cronin’s Cove was packed with sunbathers and swimmers, with little to no social distancing. Let’s hope that, as with the recent demonstrations, the health consequences prove to be minimal.
@Bob Jampol,
With all due respect, you can’t monitor the waterfront at the bath house, let alone all entry points, with a few life guards. When things go south you risk not just the swimmer but the guards as well by understaffing.
Half measures can be worse than no measures. Clearly the City has taken the position that this is a “swim at your own risk” situation- and that risk includes people who refuse to keep a proper distance.
Presumably the lake is open for fishing but that activity is unsafe with high bacteria levels.
Cheeky attempt from Ruthanne. But if the Brads and Karens of Newton were not avoiding the shores of Crystal Lake when the virus from a GLOBAL PANDEMIC was flying around the air, they sure as hell will not be deterred by bacteria from “rain”.
I suggest the Mayor announce that students have been seen lurking around the lake, smoking marijuana cigarettes and gossiping about police reform. This will ensure that most Newton families will avoid Crystal Lake like the plague.
Oh wait…
“Congregate and swim at your own risk” becomes a problem for all of us when, as in New Orleans, the crowd becomes a vehicle for spreading the virus and accelerating the pandemic. We can’t wash our hands of public behavior if that behavior jeopardizes the wider community.
@Bob,
I don’t disagree with your conclusion, but I also defer to the judgment of the Parks & Recreation Dept. which does a great job every year of training and staffing the lake and Gath Pool. In their wisdom, they determined that they could not safely operate this year – and I do believe that safety of their patrons and their staff is the top priority. The question then is what to do about scofflaws – those people who disregard the “no swimming” signs and go ahead and swim anyway? If you analyze the issue from a risk/liability scenario, half measures are far worse than no measures. Once the city undertakes to act, it must do so prudently. Short of posting security guards to keep people out, I’m not sure what measures would work assuming that the lake water returns to some semblance of cleanliness.