swimmin hole

[jd-science.livejournal.com]

i know this was asked before, but what are the good swimming places in the area? i know there's the tufts pool, but what with it being gorgeous (finally) out, i'd like to go somewheres outdoors. also, does anyone know what the water quality in the upper mystic lake is like these days? thanks.

Comments

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

We just discovered this beach at the end of last summer, and it's very convenient to our house. Can you point me to a website with some objective/scientific information about the water quality?

[foxalbers.livejournal.com]

"About 10 miles northwest of Boston, the Aberjona River winds its way through the community of Woburn, Massachusetts, a once highly industrialized city that is now the location of two Superfund sites. For over two centuries wastes from a variety of industries, including leather tanneries and pesticide manufacturers, were released into the river resulting in elevated levels of arsenic and other heavy metals throughout the Aberjona watershed. A significant portion of the arsenic contamination has been transported to the Upper Mystic Lake - some 5 miles downstream - where this toxic heavy metal has been accumulating in the lake sediment.

As the terminus of the Aberjona watershed, the Upper Mystic Lake suffers from chronic and cumulative contamination by arsenic and other heavy metals. Arsenic from the Aberjona River continues to enter the shallow forebays (i.e., the littoral wetlands) and the main basin of the Upper Mystic Lake at a steady rate. This arsenic contamination not only builds up in the lake sediment over time, but also periodically resuspends from the sediment to the overlying water. Because the Upper Mystic Lake is a popular recreation area used for swimming, sailing, and fishing, there is concern about potential human exposures to the lake's metal contamination. Understanding the transport of metals in the lake is essential for assessing the health risks of the lake's metal contamination. However, the transport and cycling of heavy metals in this and other lake systems are still poorly understood."

Research Brief 32: Understanding the Physical Processes Involved in Metal Transport in the Upper Mystic Lake (http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:aCpWxw8P1B4J:niles.niehs.nih.gov/sbrp/rb/rbs.cfm%3FResbrfnum%3D32%26view%3D%27%27+upper+mystic+lake+arsenic&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a)

I don't have any specific numbers as to what concentrations are where, but since there are plenty of other bodies of water in the area that didn't serve as industrial dumping sites....

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's useful information.