Burlington beach-goers face multiple closures due to cyanobacteria blooms
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - This summer is off to a rough start for beach-goers in Burlington, who have encountered more alerts due to cyanobacteria blooms than normal.
Environmental experts say with higher temperatures thanks to climate change, we are seeing these blooms more frequently and earlier in the season.
North Beach in Burlington was very empty on one of the hottest days of the year.
“We’ve never closed this early and we’ve never closed for cyanobacteria on the third and fourth before we had to this year,” said Alec Kaeding, the Burlington Waterfront operations manager.
Kaeding lamented closing the beach on such a hot day. It followed a number of beach closings along Burlington’s shoreline in recent weeks.
“I also look at it like by us doing what we’re doing, we’re stopping people from getting sick. So, I mean that’s a good thing, too, but it is hard having to close the beach on the nicest day of the year,” Kaeding said.
Cyanobacteria blooms, which often show up on hot days, can produce toxins that can impact the skin and bodily organs, make people sick and even kill animals. That’s why once a bloom is spotted somewhere, Burlington closes that beach for at least 24 hours.
“I think they’re being appropriately cautious. There were places around the country where, you know, a whole host of beach-goers had been sent to the hospital because they were swimming at a beach with cyanobacteria. We need to be really protective; cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins,” said Lori Fisher of the Lake Champlain Committee.
However, beach-goers in Burlington were disappointed on such a hot day.
“To be honest, I didn’t know the beach was closed until we got there. As someone new to Vermont, I haven’t quite sussed that you have to research these things first. But the sun’s out, the weather is gorgeous anyway, so we’ll make do. It’s just a shame we can’t cool off in the water,” said Harriette Arellano-Setterington of Essex.
“I mean, we all in the car, we’re like, ‘Oh my god, again?’ Because it’s closed every single time we want to go swimming and it’s been so hot lately. So, it definitely sucks to be out here in the sun and not cool off,” said Caitlin McCoy of Burlington.
The state has a tracker that shows the current status of Lake Champlain beaches and inland lakes.
However, smaller municipalities don’t have the same number of staff Burlington does, making it harder to be as diligent as the Queen City.
“Burlington is being appropriately, you know, proactive in when they see cyanobacteria at levels that we call a low alert or a high alert. They are closing beaches. That doesn’t happen everywhere. We wish it would,” Fisher said.
That’s why the Lake Champlain Committee trains municipalities and citizen cyanobacteria spotters to look out for it to prevent children, adults or animals from getting sick.
On Wednesday, Blanchard and North beaches were closed due to cyanobacteria blooms, along with other beaches down Lake Champlain.
The city will check the beaches again Thursday morning to see if they can open them up on a day that is expected to be even hotter.
Click here for the latest on Burlington beaches.
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