BARNEGAT LIGHT — Merely one week after a previous closure, the 25th Street Bay Beach in Barnegat Light has been closed once again due to high levels of bacteria.
The levels at the bay beach exceeded the state-mandated limit in fecal bacteria count for two consecutive days.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, fecal bacteria counts must not exceed 104 colonies per 100 milliliters for the water to remain swimmable. At this Barnegat Light beach, a DEP water test found 280 colonies per 100 milliliters on Monday, July 29.
The water was retested the following day, resulting in a count of 180 and 70 colonies.
While these figures are lower than those prompting the previous closure, they are still too high. A week prior, DEP test results showed a county of 370 colonies per 100 milliliters on July 22 at the bay beach, followed by 110 and 130 colonies per 100 milliliters the next day.
The beach was reopened on July 24.
The DEP will place and advisory on certain beaches if they exceed the limit just once and then conduct further testing. If a sample proves above the limit twice in a row, the beach will be closed.
Beach advisories and closures can be found online at njbeaches.org.
