3 N.J. beaches under swimming advisories due to elevated bacteria

Three New Jersey beaches are under swimming advisories Tuesday due to elevated bacteria counts.

Still, it’s a substantial improvement from last week when runoff from torrential rainfall was responsible for numerous beach closures and swimming advisories along the Jersey Shore.

The current areas under swimming advisories include the Missouri Avenue and Georgia Avenue beaches on the Atlantic City oceanfront and a bay beach in Beach Haven Terrace, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

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.

According to the state’s njbeaches.org, the latest enterococcus tests were conducted on Monday, with results of 118 at Missouri Avenue and 140 at Georgia Avenue in Atlantic City and 110 at the bay beach in Long Beach Township.

The three beaches received more than three-tenths of an inch of rain within 24 hours of the sample collections, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The state tests water quality at 35 bay and 180 ocean locations weekly and issues advisories following unacceptable bacteria levels.

Beaches are closed if two consecutive samples collected at a bathing beach exceed the state standard and remain in effect until subsequent sampling indicates bacteria levels are again below the standard.