2 New Jersey beaches closed for bacteria, dozens of advisories lifted
PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Two New Jersey beaches are closed Thursday after dozens of beaches were placed under water quality advisories earlier this week.
Windward Beach and East Beach Station Ave in Ocean County will be closed for the day after two consecutive samples showed bacteria levels over the state standard.
Wednesday, water quality advisories were in place across much of the coast including Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean Counties.
Follow up testing of water samples at 45 beaches revealed that bacteria levels had returned to a level below the state's standard. One type of bacteria found, Enterococci, typically serves as an indicator of possible human or animal waste contamination in the water.
Officials say beachgoers should not panic, but should stay aware of the conditions at their beach. They also say the heavy rainfall in recent days can contribute to higher levels of bacteria.