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New Jersey Summary: 2006 Swimming Season
May 2007
- Introduction
- 2006 Summary Results
- For More Information
- Print version (PDF) of this document (171K, 2 pages, About PDF)
- Raw data (MS-Excel) for New Jersey (251K)
Introduction
Figure 1. New Jersey coastal counties with 2006 monitored beach data.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coast recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the state of New Jersey for the 2006 swimming season.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been monitoring coastal recreational bathing beaches since 1974 with the participation of local environmental health agencies. Water quality samples are collected once a week at 325 ocean and bay beaches and analyzed for enterococci bacteria.
In addition to water quality monitoring, DEP's Water Monitoring and Standards Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring performs aerial surveillance of nearshore coastal waters. These surveillance flights enable the evaluation of coastal water quality and the assessment of the nature and extent of public reports of ocean pollution. Surveillance flights continue to record a decrease in the quantity of floatable trash and debris in the coastal waterways compared to the years prior to 1990.
Updated beach conditions and water quality results are posted each day from Memorial Day through Labor Day on the DEP Web site
and on the phone at 1-800-648-SAND.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 48 | 48 | 0 |
| Cape May | 128 | 128 | 0 |
| Middlesex | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Monmouth | 61 | 61 | 0 |
| Ocean | 84 | 84 | 0 |
| Totals | 325 | 325 | 0 |
2006 Summary Results
How many beaches had notification actions?
Figure 2: Monitored beaches with and without notification actions in 2006.
When bacteria results exceed the standard of 104 enterococci per 100 mL of water, the beach is resampled to confirm the result. If a second sample exceeds the standard, the beach is closed until additional sampling shows that bacteria levels in the water are again within the standard. Sample results are posted on the DEP Web site. Of the 325 coastal beaches that were monitored in 2006, 22, or 7 percent, had at least one advisory during the 2006 season (Figure 2).
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 3: Beach notification actions by duration.
A total of 85 beach notification actions were reported in the 2006 swimming season. Actions were of relatively short duration, however. Figure 3 presents breakdowns of action durations.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 4: Beach days with and without notification actions.
For New Jersey's 2006 swimming season, EPA determined there were a total of 40,950 beach days associated with the 325 monitored beaches. Actions were reported on 134 of those days or about 0.3 percent of the time (Figure 4).
How do 2006 results compare to previous years?
Beginning in 2003, states are required to submit data to EPA under the BEACH Act for beaches which are in coastal and Great Lakes waters. Table 2 compares 2006 data with data reported in previous years.
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 325 | 325 | 325 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 14 | 12 | 22 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 4% | 4% | 7% |
For More Information
General information about beaches | Beaches in New Jersey
You can also see the Earth911 Beach Water Quality site for NJ .
