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Politics & Government

Discs On The Beach Safe To Pick Up

Health Department alerts residents that sewage treatment plant discs may show up on town beaches.

If you are walking on the beach this week and see small retrieval discs floating in the water, don't worry - the Marblehead Health Department says it is safe to pick the discs up and throw them in the trash.

On March 6, millions of the small retrieval discs were released into the Merrimack River from a sewage treatment plant in Hookset, N.H. The discs have floated down the river and into the ocean, making their way to beaches along the North Shore including those found in Marblehead.

“We have been assured by the Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that these discs are safe to handle and may be picked up and deposited in the trash. The use of gloves or inverted plastic bags is recommended as well as thoroughly washing your hands after contact as a precaution,” the health department said.

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The Board of Health is in contact with Enpro Environmental, the clean-up contractor for the Town of Hooksett and has provided it with beach and coastline locations to check for the discs and monitor the cleanup work, the department said.

These discs could reappear with the changing tides and wind direction for a period of time, the department said.

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To report areas and beaches where these discs are found, contact The Health Office at 781-631-0212.

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