Beaches in Beachwood, Pine Beach Ranked Lowest Water Quality in N.J.

Beach on the Toms River in Beachwood and Pine Beach have ranked among the worst in New Jersey for bacteria according to a report out this week from the Natural Resources Defense Council that analyzed EPA data.

East Beachwood Beach was the lowest-ranked beach in the state out of 288 beaches that were monitored for bacteria levels and given a Beach Action Value score by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. West Beachwood Beach, Beachwood Beach and the Avon Road beach in Pine Beach followed.

The Beach Action Value figure is an aggregate of collection samples taken. A beach exceeds the acceptable BAV when 60 enterococcus bacteria colony forming units per 100 ml marine or estuarine water are detected in a single sample.

In the case of Beachwood's beaches, a staggering 91 percent of samples at East Beachwood Beach exceeded BAV while 55 percent of the samples at West Beachwood Beach exceeded BAV. At Avon Road, 50 percent of the samples exceeded BAV.

Overall, however, New Jersey's waters were considered the third cleanest in the United States.

In 2013, New Jersey reported 492 coastal beaches and beach segments, 288 of which were monitored. Of all reported beach monitoring samples, 3 percent exceeded the BAV in a single sample.