Stenton Place Beach Back Open After Sewage Scare

Swimmers are back in the water at Stenton Place Beach on Tuesday afternoon after the city restricted bathing there while fixing a small sewer leak on an adjacent street.

The leak was limited to a small area away from the beach, but city officials worried the sewage might enter the storm drain system that flows into an outfall pipe near the First Street jetty. The beach was closed on Monday afternoon, and water samples were collected and tested by the Cape May County Health Department.

The test results came back negative on Tuesday morning, according to Community Services Director Jim Mallon, and the beaches were reopened later in the day.

"The swimming restriction is standard practice as a precautionary measure," Mallon said. "All remaining beaches along the seven miles of coastline in Ocean City remained open."