Officials hope to restore ocean access cut off after medical waste washed up

State and federal officials have partially reopened beaches up and down the Delmarva peninsula to swimming for this weekend, but are still puzzled over the source of medical waste that led to the closures beginning Sunday.

It’s been an all-hands-on-deck situation, as officials from state and local agencies in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware have been coordinating with federal agencies on the issue. And while the presence of the plastic and medical waste has lessened as the week went on, environment and health officials are still scratching their heads on where the waste originated.

“Investigators are still looking into the type and source of medical waste. We are monitoring for any illnesses as a result of this,” according to a statement from the Maryland Department of Health.

The health and safety concerns began Sunday, when the Maryland State Parks Facebook page announced that Assateague State Park and other beaches were closing ocean access to visitors due to “a significant amount of medical waste washing onshore.” All water activities were restricted and, while people were allowed on the beach they were encouraged “to wear shoes and use an abundance of caution.”

The medical waste included hypodermic needles, feminine products and other plastic materials, according to a Maryland Department of Natural Resources official.

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Local and state agencies have been working all week to clean up the beaches, and the situation has been improving.

“Ocean City is reporting normal vegetation washing ashore and no presence of medical waste,” said Jorge Castillo, a communications staffer for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, in an email Wednesday. “Assateague State Park and National Seashore report continued reduction in the amount of waste today and the type of waste is typical of that produced during rougher seas.”

Even without the presence of waste, officials said, rough surf conditions might have restricted ocean use this week anyway on the affected beaches. But rough surf doesn’t usually spark a multiagency response.

“Local governments are reporting that the amount of medical waste washing onto the shore has decreased, which is good news,” said the Maryland Department of Environment’s Jay Apperson in an email. “We are working in cooperation with numerous state, local and federal agencies in response to this event, including the identification and disposal of the medical waste.”

Ocean City was able to fully reopen beaches by Friday. Parts of the “lifeguarded” beach at Assateague Island had been reopened Friday, but other stretches remained closed because of medical waste and rough seas. Beaches at Delaware’s Fenwick Island were expected to remain closed through the weekend, according to local news reports.

“We are pleased to report that after multiple high tides and several days of beach sweeping, we are no longer experiencing waste washing ashore,” Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a statement posted to the city’s Facebook page Friday. “We are confident that it is now safe to reopen the ocean for swimming and surfing.”

Meanwhile, the Maryland Department of Health advises beachgoers to “not approach or touch any medical waste as the cleanup efforts continue.”

– This story was updated on Friday, Sept. 20, to reflect the partial reopening of some of the beaches.