REHOBOTH BEACH — The medical waste washing ashore on Delmarva beaches forcing closures, reports of which began surfacing this past weekend, has been confirmed to reach Rehoboth Beach as city staff discovered at least two hypodermic needles and the remains of various pill bottles on Monday.
Ocean access from the public beach had already been restricted earlier that morning, based on weather conditions, according to the city.
“The City of Rehoboth Beach is closing access to the ocean today primarily due to rough surf conditions. The beach itself remains open at this time,” Lynne Coan, communications manager for the city, announced on the morning of Sept. 16.
Ms. Coan promised both city staff and the beach patrol would monitor the beach for any signs of the waste that had been reported in Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island in Delaware.
At that time, Ms. Coan reported a visitor noticed a syringe in the waterline. The city did not say if it confirmed the existence of the waste at that time, but only a few hours later city staff discovered, and the city confirmed, the existence of the other potentially hazardous debris.
“After surveying the beach this morning, the City of Rehoboth Beach has found two exposed syringes, that is syringes with hypodermic needles, along the beach. One was found north of Queen Street and the other near Pennsylvania Avenue. Several pieces of pill bottles and caps to medicine bottles also were found,” Ms. Coan said.
The beach patrol and city staff will continue to monitor the situation, she said.
Monday afternoon, the beach population was sparse, but certainly present, as visitors and locals largely remained on shore with a few people going into the water up to their ankles.
Along the shore but among them were two metal detectorists, scanning for things other than medical waste, they both confirmed. Only one of them was lucky.
“All I found was some junk jewelry and a few coins,” Wayne Argo said, making for a disappointing day for the hobby.
Bob Kuhling said he was in Ocean City, Maryland, over the weekend and found medical waste on the beaches there, but had not yet turned up anything near the Delaware Ave. beach, where he was standing.
The Town of Dewey Beach has also closed off ocean access due to waste discovery on Monday.
“The Town of Dewey Beach is actively addressing the recent discovery of medical waste that has washed up onshore. Out of an abundance of caution, ocean swimming in Dewey Beach has been temporarily closed,” the town released.
Continuing south, the town of Bethany Beach posted a beach closure notification to social media, and Fenwick Island made a statement on its official website.
“Our beaches will remain closed today, September 16, due to medical waste washing onto shore, including syringes. Our public works inspected the beach this morning and will inspect again this afternoon and tomorrow morning before the town makes a decision about reopening the beaches tomorrow,” a post on the Fenwick Island government website reads.
Cities and towns along the Delmarva Coast as far south as Chincoteague, Va., have been affected by the waste spill, whose origins remain unclear.
Assateague Island National Seashore, a national park operated by the federal government Maryland posted on social media Sunday saying, “we currently have no idea where (the spill) came from and will not be speculating about a source. Health authorities will be investigating.”
Authorities recommend wearing closed-toed shoes if walking anywhere along Delaware and Maryland beaches.
Anyone finding any medical waste on the beach should contact the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s environmental hotline at 800-662-8802.
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