Ocean County Provides Beach Water Quality Conditons

Ocean County is keeping a close eye on water quality conditions at its ocean and bay beach bathing areas. Freeholder Director Gerry Little says their annual water testing program is well under way at 77 public bathing beach areas in the county.

"We do it for a couple of weeks before Memorial Day through Labor Day to make sure our coastal waters and our inland beaches and bays are clean."

Little says they hire a group of 7 or 8 college students to conduct the test. He says they take water samples to the Ocean County Utilities Authority Laboratory which is all set up to test for bacteria.

Little says the test results are placed on the Ocean County Health Department's website www.ochd.org. He says they also provide the results on a 24-hour-hotline 1-800-342-9738, Ext. 7776.

Little says Ocean County's water testing program has been in place for a decade and is the oldest in the state.