Beaches in NJ tested for bacteria, declared safe for swimming. Kicks off summer season
Throughout the summer, health officials will test more than 300 sites around New Jersey weekly, looking for high bacteria levels that could cause illness. Testing is performed each Monday and results are typically available by Tuesday afternoon.
Beaches that fail for having high bacteria levels are retested daily during the week, until their microbe counts fall to level considered safe for swimming.
Leaky sewer systems, animal waste and stormwater runoff are all contributors to high levels of bacteria at lakes and beaches. In large enough concentrations, these microbes can cause illnesses like vomiting, diarrhea and ear infections in swimmers. People with weak immune systems, young children and elderly adults are particularly at risk.
The seven beaches that have tested safe for swimming as of May 20, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, are:
Belmar beach at 5th Avenue.
Belmar beach at 12th Avenue.
Belmar beach at 20th Avenue.
Belmar's L Street beach on the Shark River.
Point Pleasant Beach's northernmost beach.
Point Pleasant Beach at Jenkinson's Pavilion.
Point Pleasant Beach at Maryland Avenue.
Despite low bacteria levels, swimming can still be dangerous at these locations. Local officials regularly warn swimmers not to enter the water unless lifeguards are present.
Additionally, midweek rain could flush animal waste, pesticides, oil and other pollutants into streams and rivers and increase bacteria counts in some waterways temporarily, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Swimmers should avoid water that is cloudier than usual, discolored or has a bad smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control. To prevent illness, avoid swimming with any cuts or wounds, and keep sand out of children's mouths, according to the agency. If soap and water is not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before eating on the beach, according to the CDC.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 17 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Worried about ocean swimming? Belmar, Point Pleasant beaches safe
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
CDC shooting suspect died of self-inflicted gunshot: Officials
CDC shooting suspect Patrick Joseph White expressed "discontent" with the COVID-19 vaccines before firing nearly 200 shots that struck six different CDC buildings. The Georgia man suspected of opening fire on Centers for Disease Control buildings near Emory University, killing one police officer, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and expressed "discontent" with COVID-19 vaccines, authorities said. Hundreds of shell casings were discovered at the scene of the shooting, which broke out the afternoon of Aug. 8 in Atlanta, according to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey. Nearly 200 bullets struck six different CDC buildings, Hosey said in an update on Aug. 12. The suspect, identified over the weekend as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, was found dead on the second floor of a building that included a CVS store. It was later determined that his fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted. White was on law enforcement's radar weeks before the shooting because he had expressed suicidal ideation, prompting contact with law enforcement. He had no known criminal history, Hosey said. DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, a 33-year-old husband and father of two with another child on the way, was killed by one of the shooter's weapons, Hosey said. "He served with honor, courage and unwavering dedication. His sacrifice will never be forgotten, and his commitment to protecting others is a profound testament to the very best of the law enforcement profession," Hosey said.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here are Yosemite's busiest entrances
Summer visitors flocking to Yosemite National Park can expect to hit the longest lines at the park's southern gate, acting superintendent Ray McPadden said Tuesday. Located two miles from the town of Fish Camp, that gate marks the park's only south-facing entrance, making it a hotspot for visitors from the Los Angeles area. Yosemite's second-busiest access point — the Big Oak Flat entrance, off Highway 120 — shares the load of Bay Area visitors with the Arch Rock Entrance, located down Highway 140. It's been almost three months since Yosemite began implementing a contentious new reservation system designed to keep the crowds of visitors at bay. Hourlong waits at popular entrance stations were common before the park launched its first trial reservation system five years ago. Now, McPadden said, Yosemite aims to keep wait times to a maximum of 10 minutes. 'Good news is, the vast majority of the days, you're going to wait less than 10 minutes,' McPadden told the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors this week. 'Bad news is, Saturday mornings, people are still very much piling up.' Wait times can jump up to almost an hour between 9 and 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings, McPadden said. Park leadership hopes to 'cycle people through faster' during these times, especially at the park's most popular entrances. They're piloting a public connectivity program at the Big Oak Flat entrance, he added — granting visitors internet access so they can pull up information about their reservation and lodgings on their cellphones while they wait in line. Yosemite's system requires reservations for visitors who enter the park between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend, between June 15 and Aug. 15, and over Labor Day weekend. It's a more relaxed version of the permanent day-use requirements that the park had planned to introduce this year, but put on an indefinite hold to give the Trump administration time to review the changes. The first Memorial Day under the reservation requirements went smoothly in spite of initial concerns that they would sow confusion at the gates. And McPadden portrayed the 'visitor-friendly' pilot system as an overall success. 'What we're generally seeing is people are getting to go where they want to go,' McPadden said. 'Traffic is free-flowing in the park. We're not seeing crazy lines. We're not seeing our ambulances failing to get to emergencies or any other emergency service disruptions. So this is all good.' The park is projected to hit 4.5 million visitors by the end of 2025, he added, which could make it the park's second or third busiest year on record. Yosemite set its visitation record when it welcomed more than 5 million visitors in 2016, the centennial year of the National Park system. Although McPadden did not say whether the pilot reservation system would be here to stay, he expressed optimism that the park would soon move toward a consistent 'new normal.'
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Atlanta gunman fired hundreds of rounds at CDC headquarters
Investigators released new details on the shooting targeting the Centers for Disease Control. Officials say Patrick Joseph White had expressed "discontent" with the Covid-19 vaccine and fired hundreds of rounds at CDC headquarters before he died by 12, 2025
