Highlands, South Amboy Beaches Under State Advisory For High Fecal Bacteria Levels

HIGHLANDS, NJ — The state placed beaches in South Amboy and Highlands under an advisory this week after high levels of human fecal bacteria were found in the water.

The two beaches are:

• The Snug Harbor Beach at the community rec center in Highlands
• The beach at Reach Road in South Amboy

Both of these beaches face Raritan Bay.

The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) regularly tests the water quality at New Jersey beaches, and certain beaches in the state sometimes come back high for enterococcus, which is bacteria found in human feces. Usually, fecal levels in the water are high after a period of heavy rain, as the rain causes sewer overflows.

The NJ DEP publishes their results daily here: njbeaches.org/beach-actions, and on this map: njbeaches.org/

Bay water tested from the Snug Harbor beach came back very high for levels of enterococcus bacteria on July 6, 7 and 8. The DEP found very high enterococcus levels especially on July 6; they were greater than 1,000 per 100 milliliter of water on that date.

The levels of human fecal bacteria remained high on July 7 (315 parts per 100 mL) and July 8 (100 parts per 100 mL).

After July 8, the fecal levels in the water started to subside.

But then Monday, July 20, after heavy rainstorms this weekend, fecal bacteria at the Snug Harbor beach went back up again, to 130 parts per 100 mL.

At the South Amboy beach, human feces in the water were found at 500 parts per 100 mL on July 14, and 470 parts per mL on July 7.

Both beaches are still open to swimming; the state has not closed them. But the state placed them under a swim advisory, which means it wants swimmers to be aware.

Exposure to enterococcus bacteria can make people sick.

The Asbury Park Press reports that the King Grant community lake in Burlington County tested high for E. Coli earlier this week, in levels that exceeded what is considered safe for swimming. But that lake has since re-opened for swimming.