Six Long Branch Beaches Don't Meet State Water Quality Standards

LONG BRANCH, NJ - Six Long Branch bathing beaches exceeded the state Department of Environmental Protection standards for bacteria concentrations recently, according to a DEP report.

The DEP must issue an advisory whenever samples exceed 104 colonies of enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters during its weekly recreational quality beach monitoring of 180 ocean and 35 bay stations along the New Jersey coast.

Samples are analyzed for the presence of enterococci, a type of bacteria found in animal and human waste that is an indicator of possible contamination of bathing waters. The New Jersey State Sanitary Code requires that the concentration of bacteria not exceed 104 colonies of enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of the sample.

Anything over that may be harmful to human health. When a sample exceeds the state standard, a swimming advisory is issued and additional sampling is conducted and continues each day until the sample result is below 104 Enterococci/100 ml. If two consecutive daily samples exceed the standard, the bathing beach closes until sample results are below the standard.

The Long Branch beaches involved in the advisories included South Bath, Elberon Beach Club, Ocean Beach Club, Joline, Atlantic Avenue and North Bath, according to the DEP.

Photo: Patricia A. Miller