Assateague National Seashore Reopens Beach But Beach Hazard Warnings in Effect

Assateague Island National Seashore has reopened beaches that were closed earlier this week due to medical wastes and other garbage washing ashore.

In a release Friday the park staff said that after consulting with multiple state and federal agencies it was deemed OK for swimming and ocean access on the lifeguarded beaches in both Maryland and Virginia. As crews continue to cleanse and monitor beaches, other areas on the national seashore will be opened incrementally. The Oceanside Campground Beach and South Beach will reopen for water activities at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“Thorough sweeps of the beach have been performed and only a handful of items have been found,” the park release said. “It appears that little or no new material has washed on to the beach in the last two days. As a precaution, visitors are advised to wear shoes on the beach and in the unlikely event that any medical waste is found, to contact a lifeguard or ranger. We have done an intensive cleanup effort-but the risk is not zero.”

Due to major washouts and flooding, the Maryland Oversand Vehicle area remains closed. It will remain closed until it becomes safely passable, and staff are able to do an assessment and cleanup of any waste materials still in the OSV area.

The North End of the Island (Assateague Island north of the State Park) is still closed to visitation. This area received a larger amount of the medical and other waste that came ashore. It is likely that it will remain closed for at least another week, possibly longer, as cleanup will begin after the other, more visited areas are completed, the park release said.

The source of the material is still unknown. The material consisted of used needles, hygiene products, smoking products, and miscellaneous plastics. Most material came ashore Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday morning. There has been very little since Tuesday morning.

However, those who may wish to swim and surf in the ocean have another problem.  There are Beach Hazard warnings with rough surf and strong rip currents expected for the next couple of days.  Swimmers still need to stay out of the water on the Atlantic Beaches until further notice.