Swimming Still Off-Limits At Windward Beach Park In Brick

BRICK, NJ — Bacteria levels have decreased at Windward Beach Park but the beach remains closed to swimming on Friday, state officials said.

Test results from July 24 showed levels of enterococci bacteria continued to exceed allowable maximum levels in water drawn from the Metedeconk River at the beach. The maximum is 104 colonies of the bacteria per 100 milliliters of water.

The riverfront beach had tested high on Monday, July 22, with a level of 110 colonies, the state Department of Environmental Protection said. That prompted a retest on Tuesday at three spots at Windward Beach. Those readings rose dramatically, in part because of rain that accompanied Monday's thunderstorms, registering 340 colonies at two sites and 330 at the third.

On Wednesday, when those sites were retested, one registered 140 colonies, one registered 110 and the third registered 80, which is below the maximum.

Test results for Thursday were not yet available.

The DEP announces beach closures when allowable bacteria levels are exceeded, and tests the sites daily until the levels fall to acceptable levels.

This week is the first time this summer that Windward Beach has been subject to a swimming closure. It was closed for three days in June 2018 and for one day in August 2017.

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