Windward Beach Closed Yesterday Per NJDEP Testing Regulations, Receives Swimming Advisory Today

A local park beach was closed yesterday on the advice of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), after routine testing Monday showed a higher-than-average count of bacteria levels in the nearby water.

Brick Township’s was one of many state beaches whose water quality was tested by the NJDEP on Monday, in a process conducted by the group called a “coastal surveillance flight.”

Windward Beach itself received a testing result of 270 colony-forming units (CFU’s) of bacteria, per 100 milliliters of water.

In a statement released by the NJDEP, they noted that water quality samples were affected due to receiving over one inch of rain prior to the sampling process. As a result, nonpoint source pollution carried into the rivers, Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean from the stormwater runoff, and contributed to the results found at Windward Beach and numerous other beaches throughout the state.

All beaches that exceeded the standard on Monday were resampled during the day yesterday, and subsequently, Windward Beach was merely issued a “Swimming Advisory” for today by the NJDEP.

The NJDEP’s “Current Conditions” website is updated each weekday afternoon after coastal surveillance flight reports are filed and water quality results are received from the labs, and is updated on weekends as needed to reflect changing conditions.

Despite the advisory, tonight's rescheduled “Summerfest” event at Windward Beach Park will continue unabated.