Unsafe Bacteria Levels Force 2 New Jersey Beaches To Close
OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Two beaches in Ocean County have been closed because of unsafe bacteria levels in the water. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says the 25th Street Bay Beach in the Barnegat Light Borough and Windward Beach in Brick Township are closed until further notice.
Officials say the ocean waters along the two beaches have not met the standard set by the state sanitary code's water quality standard. The beaches will remain closed until water sampling shows bacteria levels are below the state standard.
The state requires the concentration of the bacteria, enterococci, not exceed 104 colonies per 100 milliliters of sample.
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If a sample exceeds the standard, the state issues a swimming advisory at the beach in which the sample was taken. These warn beachgoers of potentially unsafe water conditions but do not close the beaches.
A beach closure happens when two consecutive samples exceed the water quality standard.