1 NJ Beach Closed To Swimming, 4 Others Under Advisories Due To Bacteria

NEW JERSEY — One beach is closed to swimming and four others were under advisories on Wednesday due to bacteria levels found in water testing, according to state authorities.

The closure and advisories include beaches in Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May counties, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection's beach website, NJbeaches.org.

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 lone swimming closure on Wednesday was in Seaside Park, of the borough's bayfront beach at Fifth Avenue. Water samples there showed bacteria levels of 100 and 290 at two separate test sites, according to the NJDEP, on a retest taken Tuesday.

Two Monmouth County beaches — the Broad Street beach in Keyport, on Raritan Bay, and the beach at Plum Island in Middletown, at the mouth of the Shrewsbury River — were under swimming advisories as of June 10 but had no updated test data as of Wednesday.

Also under advisory was Cedar Bridge Manor in Brick Township, which is primarily a boat launch on the Metedeconk River and not a bathing beach. It, too, was tested June 10 but did not have an update.

The beach at the 42nd Avenue Lagoon in Sea Isle City is under an advisory as well. Testing of water samples taken Monday showed levels of 120 colonies per 100 ml of water.

Any initial sample that exceeds the water quality standard results in swim advisories in the area. Two consecutive subpar samples warrant beach closings.

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.