Special to the Gazette
At the recommendation of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has lifted the public health advisory issued for Jamaica Pond on October 6, 2023, due to a suspected cyanobacterial algal bloom. The pond is now re-opened for recreational activities including fishing and boating. Swimming is generally not allowed on Jamaica Pond.
The lifting of the advisory follows two weeks of consecutive tests of the pond water by DPH which demonstrated cyanobacteria levels below the state’s safe limit. DPH generally recommends that recreational water advisories can be lifted when two consecutive weekly samples show cyanobacteria counts below the safe limit of 70,000 cells/milliliter of water.
Analysis of testing of samples taken from the pond on October 16 and October 23 support the conclusion of DPH that Jamaica Pond is no longer experiencing a harmful algae bloom. On October 16, the level was 5,000 cells/milliliter and on Oct. 23, 9,500 cells/milliliter.