Temperatures in the 90s are drawing people out to local beaches, but there's concern on Beacon Hill that the state isn't maintaining the public coastline as well as it could.
Both the House and Senate have proposed more funding next year to clean and improve beaches, but lawmakers on the state's Metropolitan Beaches Commission warned that without more state funding for maintenance, the state's beaches are degrading back to the shabby conditions they were in ten years ago before authorities concentrated on upgrades.
"So when the cuts come to the agency and the impact is clear on the beaches, the impact is clear across the Commonwealth. And I think we need to step back and start to say 'what do we really want state government to do,' and in a positive way talk about the investments we make in state government that impact the quality of life for people throughout the state of Massachusetts," said Lynn Sen. Tom McGee.
The state's conservation and recreation department says it has around $1 billion dollars in deferred maintenance projects for beaches.
Beachgoers can rest assured that most of the metro area's beaches are clean and safe to swim at. The group Save the Harbor Save the Bay reports testing on several of Boston Harbor's most popular beaches show few signs of danger. Beaches in South Boston, Dorchester and Hull scored as the cleanest areas in the metro region, while King's Beach in Lynn and Tenean Beach on the Neponset River tested poorly.
But Revere Rep. Roselee Vincent warned that the physical conditions of her town's famous shore are deteriorating.
"Without funding for maintenance and staffing, America's first public beach seems to be transforming back to the days of disrepair and apathy," Vincent said.
Despite budget cuts last year, Department of Conservation and Recreation staff have been working to remove algae from many of the North Shore's beaches.
