NORTHAMPTON — By order of the mayor, the city has officially closed the Connecticut River Greenway Conservation Area until further notice, citing an ongoing problem of unauthorized motorized boat access, unpermitted large gatherings and illegal dumping in the park area.

Though the park, located off Damon Road behind the River Run Apartments, is only meant to provide non-motorized boat access to the Connecticut River, the formation of a sandy peninsula near the boat launch has turned the area into a makeshift beach, attracting crowds who use the area for swimming and motorboat access, despite a “No Swimming” sign and a lack of lifeguards.

Though the city has cautioned against using the area for swimming and recreation for several years, officials had not taken any official action against curbing activity until now.

“Despite multiple efforts to promote lawful and gentle use of the area, the site has continued to face challenges, particularly during recent heat waves,” the city stated in a press release. “The closure is needed for public health and environmental preservation.”

At the conservation area on Friday, Don Matus, a Hatfield resident walking along the beach with his dog Jake, said it was the first he had heard of the news when asked by the Gazette for his reaction. Matus said he often visits the area via his boat, which he launches from a nearby dock in Hadley. Though he has never personally seen any fires or parties occurring on the beach, Matus said he’s seen plenty of evidence of them.

“I see embers from the logs from fires,” Matus said. “And of course the trash shows there were parties here in the evening.”

Some of the trash Matus says he has seen includes aluminum cans and glass bottles, dirty diapers, flip flops and kid toys. He also said the amount of waste he’s seen has been steadily getting worse. In its statement Thursday, the city notes the significant accumulation of trash and improper disposal of human and pet waste in the area.

“Last year, there were trash barrels and someone was going around picking up the trash. This year there’s no barrels,” Matus said. “My question is, why haven’t they [the city] cleaned all this up?”

Carolyn Misch, the city’s director of Planning & Sustainability, said maintenance of the area had been easier last year due to summer flooding that had limited use and that volunteers were able to clean up the area, but the waste left behind this year had been too much to deal with.

“We attempted to do some things at the beginning of the summer, but they didn’t work,” Misch said. “The Board of Health is identifying this area as a source of filth and not appropriate for people to be around.”

Mike Foley, the director of programs at Northampton Community Rowing, located at the conservation area, said he agreed that the littering of the area has grown in recent years.

“It’s not really a surprise,” said Foley of the city’s decision to close the area. “The trash has been getting worse and worse, this year in general has been worse.”

Though Foley is mostly in the area weekdays during business hours, he said the weekends are when the area becomes packed with people, along with motorboats and Jet Skis. Foley also noted that although many people frequently go swimming in the river, the location of the area makes doing so dangerous.

“The channel here is really narrow, and boats can come speeding in very quickly,” he said. “Since there’s no designated swimming area, people swim wherever they want.”

The adjacent boat ramp and parking area remain open exclusively for launching non-motorized craft, meaning kayaking will still be permitted.

Unauthorized use of the closed area will result in a $1,000 fine and possible further penalties. Signs announcing the closure are expected to go up by this weekend, and the closure will be enforced by the Northampton Police Department, according to the Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s office.

Two years ago, the mayor warned people about the dangers of using the conservation area, noting that there are no lifeguards and the water quality is not monitored.

The only authorized public swimming area in Northampton is Musante Beach in Florence, although that does require a season pass or a walk-in fee to use.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.