Icky Water? New Jersey Lets You Swim in It

Spring Lake, N.J. -- New Jersey's water bacteria testing policy could literally make you sick.

Most states close beaches or at least issue advisories the same day that a test result comes back with high levels of bacteria. But New Jersey requires a second test to be done, often the next day, before action is taken.

And that is unacceptable, said Cindy Zipf, executive director of the Clean Ocean Action environmental group.

"They're sitting on confirmation from Day One that the water is contaminated, and they still let people go in it," she said. "What kind of public health policy is that?"

New Jersey plans to readopt its current regulations soon, said Marilyn Riley, a spokeswoman for the state health department. An advisory group will study the issue and recommend possible changes to be put in place by next summer.

"That gives us some time to do a more thorough review," she said.

It also allows people to unknowingly swim in water with bacteria levels that could give them earaches, intestinal problems and other maladies, Zipf said.

"These rules are so old and antiquated they could literally make you sick," she said. "We want the state to give people the right to know whether the water they are swimming in is contaminated with fecal material, or whether it's safe to go in."

The problem is typically worse after heavy rains cause storm drains to overflow with untreated sewage, pet waste, lawn pesticides and fertilizer.

That runoff ends up in rivers, bays and the ocean -- yet the public is not cautioned that there may be a problem until the next day.

Some longtime residents say they've decided on their own not to swim in certain areas after a heavy rain, whether or not there's an official warning.

Rhode Island, California, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and New York City all either issue public advisories or close beaches based on a single bad water quality test result, said Heather Saffert, a staff scientist with Clean Ocean Action.

At a minimum, environmental groups say, test results showing unsafe bacteria levels should be posted on a health department web site when they are received, and signs posted at the beaches alerting swimmers.

"Other states post a warning after one high test for harmful bacteria; there is no reason New Jersey can't do the same," said John Weber of the national Surfrider Foundation.

There have been 13 closures of river or bay beaches so far this year in New Jersey; 11 were due to high bacteria levels and two were closed as a precaution due to heavy rains.

Angela Pejakovich says her son spends almost as much time in the ocean as the fish do. And each year, by August, he's had several ear infections and at least one bout with bronchitis.

While she can't say for sure what makes her son ill most summers, she wholeheartedly supports a push by environmental groups for New Jersey to toughen its rules governing when beaches should be closed due to dangerously high levels of bacteria in the water.

Pejakovich said adopting a same-day closure or notification policy could help swimmers from needlessly becoming ill.

"It should be done the first day," she said. "I don't want to be swimming in it and not know until the second day that there was a problem."

"Knowledge is power,' added Robin Polara of Lake Como. "You wonder why the kids come down with a virus or an earache. Give us the information and let us decide for ourselves."
 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia