DCR Officials Address Status of Winthrop Beach

By Adam Swift

Representatives from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) appeared at the most recent town council meeting to discuss the condition of Winthrop Beach.

Several councilors noted the issues there have been with rocks and seaweed on the beach and the perception that the DCR does not maintain Winthrop Beach to the level that it does nearby Revere Beach and other DCR properties.

“In general, we should know about the way the DCR manages our beaches,” said Eric Seaborn, Director of the Office of Natural Resources for the DCR. “Our intent is to manage the beaches as natural environments, dynamic systems, wetland resource areas, the dunes … everything is under the purview of the Wetlands Protection Act. Our philosophy is to manage the beach as a natural system and recognizing that the wrack, the seaweed, that comes in from the ocean is a part of that natural cycle.”

Seaborn said that seaweed has ecological benefits including beach maintenance benefits.

“It helps trap sand, secure the sand on the beach, so it’s a stabilizing force on the beach,” said Seaborn. “We try, in terms of managing the wrack, the seaweed on the beach, we try to remove it as little as possible from the system.”

The raking that people might see on the beach is mostly with the intent of removing human debris and trash, Seaborn said.

“It’s interesting to note that under the Wetlands Protection Act, Winthrop Beach is technically a rocky, intertidal coast, and I’m sure that you have all experienced that there is a lot of cobble on that beach, a lot of rocks of all kinds,” said Seaborn. “There is regulatory aspect of trying to manage the beach, there’s also the operational difficulties.”

Because of the amount of cobble and rock on the beach, raking can be difficult because it could alter a wetlands protection area.

“It becomes a difficult area in a lot of ways to rake extensively,” Seaborn said. “You have probably seen the raking that occurs on the beach occurs in the middle beach … that’s really the extent of where we feel it is appropriate for this particular situation.”

He also noted that raking below the high water line on the beach would also violate the wetlands act.

“It’s a balancing act trying to maintain recreational opportunities and trying to protect the natural resources,” said Seaborn.

Several councilors noted that the seaweed and wrack on the beach creates an environment for a large quantity of insects.

Public Health Director Meredith Hurley noted that the species seen in the seaweed likely do not cause human diseases.

“Also, it is important to do the surveillance and see if there are any shifts in that, but for all intents and purposes, they are low to no risk,” said Hurley.

Councilor Suzanne Swope also raised concerns about the access to the beach and asked if the DCR could assist with, as well as the trash on the beach.

“There are a lot of pictures that suggest it is not just seaweed, it’s trash,” said Swope. “And when you start running on the beach with that seaweed … the flies and the insects that are coming out of that seaweed, and the smell, it ruins for us, I am not a happy camper about it. I appreciate the environmental issues, but I think some of what has been created down there is the lack of care.”