Nickerson

Managed by The Swim Guide - Massachusetts

Nickerson Beach is a very small neighborhood beach with 15-20 yards of beachfront, and gorgeous views of the Harbor Islands. Adjacent to the beach is a park for picnics with a walking path near Squaw Rock. Limited street parking is available. The beach is on an M.B.T.A. bus route.

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on July 26th, 2022. The Swim Guide - Massachusetts updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on August 1st, 2022 at 5:24 PM.

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Current Weather

17°C

A few clouds

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Local boards of health, the County Department of Health and the Environment, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation conduct the vast majority of beach water sampling in Massachusetts. Most marine beach samples collected at public beaches are analyzed at Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) contracted laboratories, and the cost of analysis is covered by MDPH. Under the beaches acts, MDPH is responsible for ensuring the regulations are adhered to by beach operators and local boards of health and providing technical assistance where needed.

In the Quincy region the water is tested on a daily to weekly basis depending on the beach. The testing frequency depends on how likely the beach is to have water quality issues. Infrequently used beaches or beaches that historically have had very few, if any, water quality issues are tested less often, while high-use or historically problematic beaches are tested more often. Detailed information on testing frequency is made available in the information listed for a particular beach.

The water is tested for Enterococci to determine water quality in brackish and marine water environments. Enterococci is a group of bacterial species typically found in human and animal intestines and are therefore present in sewage. Enterococci is also referred to as indicator organisms. Indicator organisms are used to predict the presence of pathogenic, or disease-causing, organisms associated with fecal contamination.

Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday during the swimming season.

A beach is marked Green when less than 104 units of Enterococci / 100 ml of water is present in a single sample, or when the geometric mean of 5 samples contains less than 35 units / 100ml of water.

A beach is marked Red when more than 104 units of Enterococci / 100 ml of water is present in a single sample, or when the geometric mean of 5 samples contains more than 35 units / 100ml of water.

A beach is marked Grey when there is no current or reliable monitoring information available.

Water Quality Graph