(Updated) Hopatcong Homesteads Beach Passes Water Test, Reopens

The beach is back!

On Friday, the Hopatcong Homesteads Beach Association's beach on the corner of Mariner Road and Portside Road failed water inspection and had to close.

Today, Garden State Labratories, a bacterial and chemical testing company, told the HHBA that its Wednesday test showed improved results and that members could swim at the beach again.

"They called me personally to say we're good to go," HHBA President Linda Klusick said.

"I'm just glad that it's open for the summer. We've never had bad readings like that. We're happy that everything worked well and that the system worked and we're in good shape."

Klusick, who's been the HHBA's president for 15 years and a Hopatcong beach-goer for about four decades, was surprised it failed three consecutive tests last week.

"I don't know when was the last time we had to shut down," Klusick said outside her home Thursday afternoon. "It's a very clean beach. The fence is up all the time. It's a very well-maintained beach."

But Klusick was also glad.

"I'm happy because it protects the children and all of the swimmers," she said. "And it shows we're doing what we're supposed to do."

The beach was reopened after its revealed a fecal coliform level of 60. Scores over 200 are considered unsafe.

All beaches have their waters tested weekly.

"This beach is usually very good," Inspector James Breiten told the borough's board of health Wednesday night. "They've just been having a string of bad luck."

Breiten said the water can be affected by a handful of factors such as heavy rain or geese waste.

"Sometimes you just take the sample at the wrong place at the wrong time," Breiten said in a telephone interview Thursday.

"So that's probably what happened. They probably took a sample in the area where the ducks and geese are congregating. Eventually, the water will dilute [the waste] and [the bacteria count] will drop down to acceptable levels."

Breiten continued: "It's very rare that we have beach closures. But [failing] tests, they happen. The law requires two [failing tests] for closure. After that, you wait two or three days."

The beach association provides weekly water quality test results at its webpage.