Tar Balls, Oil Appearing On Long Branch Beaches

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Have you noticed pieces of tar and oil washing up on beaches in Monmouth County in the past few days?

People have been posting on Twitter about finding "tar balls" on NJ beaches, specifically in Long Branch and Monmouth Beach, and it's so gross that some people are recommending keeping dogs off the beaches.

Clean Ocean Action said they've been collecting photos of the tar balls, pictured above.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been made aware of the tar washing up, and they will conduct a flyover Tuesday afternoon to see where the tar is coming from, said Congressman Frank Pallone, who represents this area.

Pallone said it's still unclear where exactly in the ocean the tar balls and oil are coming from.

“I am concerned about reports of oil and tar balls off the coast," said the congressman. "I’ve been in touch with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, and local officials to ensure we find out the origin of the oil."

The Coast Guard will also lead clean-up activities beginning Tuesday, and will start doing ocean water sample testing to try and determine the source of the contamination, he said.