Human Waste Leaking From Belmar's Sewer System: DEP

Human waste has been leaking from Belmar's sewer system and the borough may have to close a beach until the problem is fixed, according to state officials.

The human waste is leaking into the Shark River, near where the L Street river beach is located. Raw sewage has been coming from sanitary sewers in the area of K Street and Route 35, according to a violation notice released to Patcy by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The borough reportedly says it is working on the problem, and the DEP says the borough has been cooperative.

The Shark River Coalition has been dealing with this issue for a long time. The mission of the Shark River Cleanup Coalition, the group says on its website, is "to significantly enhance the water quality of the Shark River Estuary and its fresh water tributaries, to improve and protect habitats important to the conservation and abundance of the wildlife, to protect the recreational and commercial uses from degradation and pollution, thereby ensuring the ecological and economical stability of this important watershed."