5 Jersey Shore Beaches Either Closed Or Under Advisory This Week

Five beaches in New Jersey had issues this week because of replenishment, construction or bacteria, officials said.

Three beaches in the Point Pleasant Beach area were closed this week for what the state Department of Environmental Protection said could be non-water-quality-related issues such as beach replenishment or construction projects.

They are:

• Bay Head, Mount Street
• Bay Head, Johnson Street
• Point Pleasant Beach, Maryland Avenue

The other two beaches were under an advisory this week because of "unsafe" levels of bacteria found in animal and human waste, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

They were the New Jersey and Stockton Avenue beaches in Long Beach Township. The advisory has since been removed.

The problems were initially discovered Monday and Tuesday, with the beaches exceeding the bacteria concentration limit of 104 colony-forming units (cfu) of Enterococci per 100 milliliters of water, according to the DEP.

Some of the harmful effects of Enterococci, a bacteria found in animal and human waste, include infections that cause fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The same problem happened last year, when 47 New Jersey beaches were found to have "unsafe levels," according to Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman. Those beaches also tested above allowable levels for bacteria found in human and animal feces.

Read more: 47 NJ Beaches At Risk Of Closing Due To Fecal Bacteria, DEP Says

Back then, Hajna said the problem is caused largely by the rain that caused a lot of stormwater runoff carrying animal waste into the swimming areas. "Birds congregate a lot," he said. "When they defecate, it carries into the water."