FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DATE: 5/15/19
Contact: Brian Lippai
Public Information Officer
732-341-9700 ext. 7735
Email: BLippai@ochd.org
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OCEAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
P.O. Box 2191
Toms River, NJ 08754-2191
PRESS RELEASE
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO VIEW VIDEO ON THE OCEAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPT. BEACH WATER TESTING PROGRAM - YOU TUBE |
IT'S MORE THAN JUST
A DAY AT THE BEACH FOR
OCEAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WATER TESTERS!
(Toms River) - It's that time of year. Time for the
Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) team of water testers to gear up for
another season of inspecting the county's public recreational bathing
facilities. The Ocean County Health
Department Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program (CCMP) has been around since
1970 and is one of the nation’s longest running and most comprehensive beach
testing programs.
"It's a big job every summer season, but the
Ocean County Health Department will once again monitor most of Ocean County’s
ocean, bay, river and lake beaches along with swimming pools, hot tubs and
water parks," says Ocean County Freeholder Gerry P. Little. "The
Ocean County Health Department inspects water quality every week at 68 public
bathing beaches throughout the county from mid-May through Labor Day 2019,"
says Gerry P. Little, liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health.
Each week the OCHD tests water samples from the county’s salt and
freshwater swimming beaches. The water is tested for two types of bacteria - enterococcus
and E.coli. If the results come back with higher than acceptable levels, the
water is immediately retested and the town notified. After the second high
reading, the beach is closed and tested daily until bacteria levels return to
normal.
Closures are infrequent but typically occur after a heavy rainfall.
Water runoff washes animal waste, lawn care products and other bacteria into
the water.
"Everyone can pitch in to help make a difference to keep our
waterways and beaches clean by picking up after our pets and not throwing trash
or cigarette butts onto the streets,” explains Daniel E. Regenye, Ocean County
Health Department Public Health Coordinator. “This waste eventually empties
into lakes, rivers and the bay and contributes to our beach closings.”
Help protect your health while swimming
at the beach by taking these simple steps:
·
Observe swimming advisories; do not enter the water at a beach under a swimming
advisory.
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Avoid swallowing water
when swimming; natural waters
may contain disease-causing organisms that can cause gastrointestinal illness
if swallowed.
·
Avoid swimming for a
few days after heavy rainfall; bacteria levels
are likely to be high and disease-causing organisms are more likely to be
present after rainfall due to pollution from land runoff and other sources.
·
Prevent direct contact
of cuts and open wounds; natural waters
may contain disease-causing organisms that may cause skin infections.
·
Do not swim if you are
ill or have a weakened immune system; some organisms
are opportunistic and may only cause illness when you are already ill or your
immune system is weakened.
·
Shower with soap after
swimming; showering helps
remove potential disease-causing organisms.
·
Swim away from fishing
piers, pipes, drains, and water flowing from storm drains onto a beach.
·
Do not dispose of
trash, pet waste, or dirty diapers on the beach.
Regenye adds, "The Ocean County
Health Department posts water quality reports for every beach we monitor on its
website at www.ochd.org and offers a hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week for up to the minute reports which can be obtained by calling 732-341-9700
ext. 7776 or at 1-800-342-9738, ext 7776."
Little continues, "Visitors from all
over the country and Ocean County come to enjoy the 44 miles of beautiful
beaches and the many other recreational waterways and the Ocean County Health
Department wants to ensure everyone is protected and safe."
For more information regarding the OCHD Cooperative
Coastal Monitoring Program, please call 732-341-9700 ext. 7685 or follow the
Health Department on Twitter@OCpublichealth or like us on Facebook. Also,
please check out our new website at www.phu2.org, to access and learn more
about our Public Health is You Too! campaign to help equip you to take simple
steps to improve your health.
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