Health & Fitness
These Ocean Co. Beaches Have High Bacteria Levels, Officials Say
Other lake and river beaches across Ocean County are under swimming advisories for bacteria levels Wednesday.
OCEAN GATE, NJ — The Wildwood Avenue beach in Ocean Gate is closed for swimming Wednesday due to high bacteria levels, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The beach had initially been placed under a swimming advisory Tuesday. It was retested again Wednesday and closed.
"The bacteria levels normally increase after storms and we suspect this is the case again," Ocean Gate officials said Wednesday. "The water will be tested throughout the day and a determination about the water quality will be issued again tomorrow."
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New Jersey beaches are placed under a swimming advisory when the concentration of bacteria exceeds 104 colonies of Enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of sample, according to the NJDEP's beaches website, NJBeaches.org. The beach is then tested again the next day.
An advisory does not close the beach; it just warns the public that swimming conditions may be unhealthy. Beaches will only be closed if two consecutive samples exceed the water quality standard.
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Additionally on Wednesday, officials announced swimming advisories at Bamber Lake - West Lake (Lacey), Forrest/Rowe Beach (Lacey), William J. Dudley Park Beach (Berkeley) and A. Paul King Park Beach (Stafford). All of these are freshwater lake beaches. Bacteria levels ranged from 350 colonies to 800 colonies.
River beaches in Ocean County under advisories include Cedar Bridge Manor (Brick), East Avon Road (Pine Beach), Cedar Point (South Toms River) and Beachwood Beach West (Beachwood).
Sites on the bays are tested weekly, according to the water quality data on NJBeaches.org.
Sources of enterococci in water include stormwater runoff, sewage discharged or dumped from recreational boats, and domestic animal and wildlife waste.
Swimming in polluted water can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, runny nose, earaches skin rashes and flu-like symptoms.
Ocean Gate's other beach, Anglesea, is not under an advisory. Both beaches are on the Toms River.
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