Medical Waste Closes Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Beaches

Several beaches along the Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia coastlines are closed to swimmers after medical waste began washing up on the shoreline. The first reports of medical waste washing up onshore occurred at 11:41 on Sunday morning when Maryland State Parks officials stated that beaches on the Maryland coastline were closing. Shortly after, Ocean City and Assateague Island National Seashore officials cautioned people to avoid the beaches on the Maryland side and later to beaches at Chincoteague.

Medical Waste Discovered On the Beaches After High Tide

Weekend visitors to the popular vacation spots were urged to stay out of the water after medical waste, including hypodermic needles, colored needle caps, and feminine hygiene products, washed up onshore. A park manager on Assateague Island said clean-up crews discovered the garbage and medical waste on the beach after high tide. More than 60 state and federal agencies were working to contain the medical waste washing up on the coastline between Delaware and Virginia.

The Assateague Island National Seashore is a 37-mile-long island that runs along the coastlines of Maryland and Virginia. The beach closures extend approximately 50 miles from Fenwick Island in Delaware to Chincoteague Island in Virginia, including Dewey Beach in Delaware and Ocean City in Maryland. Authorities not only cautioned beachgoers about swimming but prohibited all types of water activity, including swimming, wading, and surfing, in many areas.

Chincoteague Island is the home to the famous herd of Chincoteague wild ponies. It's estimated that the ponies have inhabited the island for 300 to 400 years. A fence on the Maryland and Virginia state lines separates the two herds of ponies. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd and the Virginia herd of 150 ponies is owned by the Virginia Volunteer Fire Company. Each year, the fire company purchases a grazing permit from the National Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain a herd of approximately 150 ponies.

Precautions Are In Place To Protect Beachgoers

On Sunday, the National Park Service announced on Facebook that all the ocean-facing beaches on Assateague Island are closed for wading and swimming. Assateague Island National Seashore, which is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, is open year-round but will be closed until further notice. Park Service officials have stated they have yet to learn where the medical waste came from and aren't going to speculate about its source. Health officials will be investigating the incident.

When the closures extended north into Delaware, Dewey Beach, and Fenwick Island, officials made the decision to close the beaches on Sunday. Michael Globetti, spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, or DNREC, told the Delaware News Journal that the source of the medical waste polluting beaches is still being investigated, and the situation is being closely monitored. The DNREC has advised beachgoers to stay off the beaches, not swim in the ocean, and advised visitors to wear shoes if they are on the beach.