High Bacteria Levels Force Two-day Closure at Seaside Park Bay Beach

The 5th Avenue Bay Beach in Seaside Park is open to swimmers again following a closure two days in a row this week due to unacceptable bacteria levels, according to Ocean County Health Department officials.

The beach reopened around Noon on Thursday, following the two-day closure after water testing results found unsafe levels of bacteria Tuesday and Wednesday, according to newsworks.org.

Leslie Terjesen, spokesperson for the Ocean County Health Department, told the website the standard for the acceptable level of enterococcus, a bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals that can cause urinary tract infections, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis, and meningitis, is 104 colonies per 100 ml of water.

The health department's water sampling pages states: "If a sample exceeds the standard, the beach is re-sampled immediately. If the re-sample is within the standard the beach is allowed to remain open. If the re-sample exceeds the standard; the owners of the beach area are notified to close the beach to swimming and bathing. The beach will be re-sampled every day until the sample falls under the standard, then the bathing area may re-open."

Storm water runoff from rain Tuesday is blamed for causing elevated bacteria levels in Seaside Park, according to Terjesen.

Beach condition updates can be found at the New Jersey Department of  Environmental Protection's website, njbeaches.org.