For me, growing up in the early 1980s, the idea that Jaws may come up behind me, as its theme song rang in my ears, was the biggest “fear” at the beach. Well, we’ve all got a new (and real) monster to worry about now — and it will take more than two Hollywood sequels to get rid of it.

You may have heard lately that there has been an increase in beach closings in the tri-state area due to pollution. But did you know (ok, maybe you assumed), that the #1 worst beach is right here in New Jersey? Yes, Beachwood Beach West in Ocean County failed to meet public health standards more than 60% of the time in 2006 it was tested, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In fact, not a single New Jersey beach made their “Beach Buddy” list, which consists of beaches that monitored beach water quality regularly, violated public health standards less than 10 percent of the time, and took significant steps to reduce pollution. The closest Beach Buddy to us is in North Carolina.

The report says that storm water is the principal source of pollution at New Jersey beaches. And — what a surprise — an aging infrastructure, specifically the poorly-designed sewage and storm drainage systems, is a big part of the problem in the tri-state area and nationwide.

If we allow our coastlines to basically rot — a part of our state most of us truly enjoy and take some amount of pride in — what does that mean for the rest of our environment?

So, where can you go to find out if it’s safe to swim at your favorite beach?

Click this site from the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection. Or call 1-800-648-SAND

For more information about the report from the Natural Resources Defense Council and your local beach, click here. And to see what you can do, click here.

— by Donna M.
Both a Jersey native and recent transplant from NYC, Donna M. is obsessed with both good food and grammar.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!