Protecting Swampscott’s Environment

Swampscott is uniquely fortunate—located on the ocean just minutes from Boston, with beautiful beaches, historic sites, and valuable open space. Protecting these resources requires thoughtful planning, modern infrastructure, and proactive leadership.

Our Natural Assets

Swampscott is home to:

  • Six public beaches

  • A nationally recognized historic site, the Fish House

  • Over 10 acres of protected open space in Precinct 1 (Archer and Von Place)

  • The recently acquired Hawthorne by the Sea property

  • A newly enacted Community Preservation Act, allowing the town to locally direct funding toward open space, housing, and historic preservation

These resources are central to Swampscott’s identity—and must be protected.

Smart Infrastructure & Climate Preparedness

Environmental stewardship also means addressing long-standing infrastructure challenges.

Key priorities include:

  • Addressing chronic flooding along Humphrey Street and the Phillips fields

  • Improving stormwater management, especially runoff flowing from catch basins into King’s Beach

  • Investing now—not later—in a vacuum truck to properly clean storm drains, rather than relying on outdated equipment that leaves debris behind

  • Improving the Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier to protect coastal infrastructure

  • Properly fund the DPW and invest in a modern vacuum truck to efficiently clean catch basins, replacing the outdated 1977 clamshell unit with equipment that meets today’s standards for performance, safety, and reliability.

Delaying these investments creates environmental and public health risks.

Local Control & Clean Water

Swampscott should follow the lead of neighboring communities by creating a local Water and Sewer Commission.

A dedicated commission would:

  • Keep water, sewer, and beach protection efforts locally managed

  • Ensure funds paid through water and sewer bills are used only for those systems

  • Oversee aging sewer infrastructure—some pipes are over 100 years old

  • Reduce reliance on outsourced services and improve accountability

  • Ensure outfall pipes are properly maintained to protect coastal waters

Looking Ahead

Protecting Swampscott’s environment means acting with foresight—investing in infrastructure, safeguarding our coastline, and maintaining local control over critical systems. These steps are essential to preserving the town we love for generations to come.