Summer travelers warned after fecal bacteria levels in water exceed safety standards

As of June 21, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) listed swimming advisories at five coastal locations in Ocean and Cape May counties.

The coastal advisories include Cedar Point Beach and Beachwood Beach West in Ocean County, as well as Wildwood and Bay, Baywyn and Bay, and Ferry and Bay in Lower Township, Cape May County, the department noted. 

State standards allow no more than 104 enterococci colonies per 100 milliliters of sampled water. If a test result exceeds that threshold, a swimming advisory is issued and additional samples are collected until water quality returns to acceptable levels, the department said.

However, a swimming advisory does not automatically result in the closure of a swimming area.

As of June 21, the DEP's monitoring dashboard showed no active coastal or freshwater closures.

The advisories follow a broader round of testing conducted last week.

The EPA also warns that consuming seafood harvested from waters contaminated by fecal matter may result in illness.

Officials will continue monitoring the affected locations and collecting additional samples until bacteria levels return to acceptable standards.

Jessica Mekles of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.