Bacterial Inspections On Barnegat-Area Beaches To Begin

BARNEGAT, N.J. — It's that time of year again. The Ocean County Health Department's team of water testers will begin inspecting the county's public recreational bathing facilities.

Each week, the OCHD tests water samples from Ocean County's salt and freshwater swimming beaches. The water is tested for two types of bacteria: enterococcus and E. coli.

If the water comes back with higher-than-acceptable levels, the water is immediately retested and the town notified. Beaches are closed after a second high reading until bacteria levels return to normal.

Closures are infrequent but typically occur after heavy rainfall, the OCHD says. Water runoff washes animal waste, lawn care products and other bacteria into the water.

"Everyone can pitch in to help make a difference to keep our waterways and beaches clean by picking up after our pets and not throwing trash or cigarette butts onto the streets," Daniel E. Regenye, Ocean County Health Department Public Health Coordinator, said in a statement. "This waste eventually empties into lakes, rivers and the bay and contributes to our beach closings."

The OCHD says you can protect your health while swimming at the beach by taking these steps:

• Observe swimming advisories, and don't enter water at a beach under a swimming advisory.
• Avoid swimming for a few days after a heavy rainfall.
• Prevent direct contact of cuts and open wounds. Natural waters may contain organisms that cause skin infections.
• Don't swim if you are ill or have a weakened immune system. Some organisms only cause illness when you are already ill or your immune system is weakened.
• Shower with soap after swimming.
• Swim away from fishing piers, pipes, drains and water flowing from storm drains onto a beach.
• Don't dispose of trash, pet waste or dirty diapers on the beach.

The OCHD posts water quality reports for every beach it monitors on www.ochd.org and offers a hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for up to the minute reports which can be obtained by calling 732-341-9700 ext. 7776 or at 1-800-342-9738, ext 7776.

The OCHD Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program has been around since 1970 and is one of the nation's longest running beach testing programs.

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