An area in Menemsha known as crab corner is closed to swimmers while electricians and town officials work to determine the source of stray voltage in the water.

In a phone call with the Gazette on Wednesday, Chilmark selectman Jim Malkin confirmed that the area — a shoal on the northwest corner of the harbor, left of Menemsha Beach before the jetty — is closed until further notice.

Several weeks ago a child reported feeling a tingle of electricity while swimming. Electricians subsequently found intermittent and occasional voltage in the water.

“It is not significant, but there is some,” Mr. Malkin said. he said the voltage registered between .2 and 1 volts.

“I’ve been in the water, the harbor master has been in the water, the electricians have been in the water, and when we’ve been in the water we haven’t felt a thing,” he said.

However, there have been additional reports that something is amiss.

“We’ve had over the past week several more incidents [reporting] the same kind of feelings,” Mr. Malkin said.

Until the issue is resolved, beachgoers should not be swimming in the closed-off area, he said.

“We have had lifeguards there and signs to keep people out of the water while we try to trace down the source of this intermittent, minor voltage leak. We’re dealing with it on a daily basis and have been since the first incident,” Mr. Malkin said, adding: “We have isolated every wire, we have tested every wire.”

He said the problem could be a faulty ground in the electrical system or electricity coming from a boat.

He said the town hopes to have the situation resolved as soon as possible, but meanwhile “we are doing whatever is necessary to keep people safe while trying to identify and remedy the situation.”