At Jersey Shore, stormwater runoff blamed for spike in beach closings

An annual report by the Natural Resources Defense Council on beachwater quality has found the number of closing and beach advisory days jumped 20 percent in New Jersey last year and nearly doubled in New York.

NJ Spotlight reports the spike in closings and advisories were primarily attributed to the wettest year on record, but the environmental group and other conservationists have also said the findings underscore how the nation’s seashores continue to suffer from stormwater runoff and sewage pollution.

According to NJ Spotlight, 47 percent of the closings and advisories nationwide, which reached 23,481, were attributed to stormwater runoff, pollution from streets, parking lots and other areas that wash into waterways.

In New Jersey, the Natural Resources Defense Council found there were 131 closings or advisories issued, 79 percent of them blamed on stormwater runoff.

You can read the rest of Tom Johnson’s story on the NJ Spotlight website.