Sweatt Beach Forced to Close Again

Update 3:25 p.m. - The latest tests results show that the lake contains 60 colonies per 100 milliliters of water which is well under the maximum amount allowed. The Recreation Department however is still awaiting approval from the Board of Health to reopen.

After believing that they were in the clear, the Wrentham Recreation Department was forced to close Sweatt Beach again as a safety precaution Monday afternoon.

Despite getting low bacteria ratings, there was one test that was still a tad bit high for the comfort of the Board of Health according to Recreation Director Jeff Plympton.

Last week the beach was forced to shut down on July 2 after a bacteria reading came back extremly high. After multiple counts showed a low level of bacteria , the beach was reopened on Friday, July 6.

While the majority of the test have come back showing that the water contained only 60-80 colonies per 100 milliliters, an outlying sample of 190 colonies per 100 milliliters was on the higher end.

In addition, state law requires the average of the previous five tests to be under the Massachusetts Board of Health's limit of 235 colonies per 100 milliliters. Due to the fact that the initial test that caused the first closing is still being used for the average, the beach was forced to close.

Plympton emphasized that the closing does not necessarily mean that the water is dangerous to be in but rather that the board is erring on the side of caution and safety standards set by the state. 

A routine test was taken during the day Monday and should be completed today with an announcement concerning if the beach can open coming in the afternoon.

Stay tuned to Patch during the day for updates on whether Sweatt Beach will be allowed to open again.