New Jersey beaches reopened after bacteria shutdown

All New Jersey beaches are opened today and will be open this weekend.

According to officials, water at certain beaches was resampled Wednesday and the results showed that they met the state's stringent recreational bathing standard. This means that all ocean, bay and coastal river beaches are now open.

Earlier this week, 15 beaches were closed due to elevated bacteria levels. Environmental officials say heavy rains that result in runoff water containing chemicals and bird droppings is responsible for the spike in bacteria.