Swimming Banned Due To Fecal Bacteria At Ocean County River Beach

BEACHWOOD, NJ — After a fourth straight week of high fecal bacteria readings, Beachwood officials have shut down swimming at the borough's beach for the rest of the summer of 2024.

"For the safety, health and welfare of the residents and others, the Mayor and Council have decided to close swimming at the beach for the remainder of the 2024 season due to the Ocean County Health Department reporting of excessive bacteria levels found in the water," a statement posted on the borough website said.

"You may still sit and take in the lovely view of the scenery but no one will be permitted to swim," the statement said.

The Beachwood beach, which sits on the Toms River, has had water quality issues for several years, with repeated instances of high levels of Enterococci bacteria. The standard is 104 colonies per 100 milliliters of sampled water.

Water samples that exceed 104 colonies prompt swimming advisories, and swimming bans when retesting shows continuing levels that exceed the standard.

Readings this summer have reached as high as 1,160 colonies, which was recorded Wednesday at the Beachwood Beach East station, according to data from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Beachwood's beach had high bacteria readings during the weeks of June 24, July 1, and July 8 in addition to the high readings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the NJDEP.

The NJDEP website that tracks bacteria readings and closures had a reading of 400 colonies on June 24, which prompted a swimming advisory, but the levels dropped quickly after that. The week of July 1, the initial sample showed 130 colonies, dipped to 110 on the resample on July 2, leading to a swimming ban. The sample remained at 110 on July 3 then rose to 250 colonies on July 4, preventing families from cooling off in the water during the borough's Fourth of July celebration. The number rose to 470 on July 5, according to NJDEP data, and the swimming ban remained through the weekend.

On July 7, the sample was 110, leading to an advisory, and rose to 190 colonies on July 8, prompting another swimming ban that was finally lifted on July 10.

On Monday, the sample showed 200 colonies, sparking another advisory, and decreased to 130 on Tuesday before spiking to 1,160 on Wednesday.

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.

In 2020, the beach was declared the dirtiest in New Jersey by the organization Environmental New Jersey, which analyzed data of fecal bacteria from beaches in 29 states and Puerto Rico. The study indicated that 386 — or about one-eighth — of the beaches surveyed were potentially unsafe on at least 25 percent of the days when sampling occurred.

Beachwood Beach West tied with 25th Street Bay Front Beach in Barnegat Light for the most days where water testing levels of potentially dangerous bacteria exceeded safe water standards, at nine each in 2019.

The beach also was closed to swimming in 2023, but that was due to the inability to find lifeguards, the borough said at the time.