Michael Sol Warren reports for NJ.com
An ongoing leak of human waste may force a Jersey Shore town to shut down one of its beaches until the problem is solved.
According to a report by the Asbury Park Press, leaky sewers in Belmar have been sending untreated waste into the Shark River. The leak has stirred public health concerns, and the town is considering closing the L Street beach indefinitely.
During storms, wastewater in Belmar’s sewer system mixes with the stormwater and overflows, sending sewage into the nearby Shark River.
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The source of the leak is sewers in the area of Route 35 and K Street, according to a violation issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to Belmar.
The L Street beach is a small strip of bayshore sand east of MacLearie Park. It stretches a single block between L Street and K Street.
The NJDEP violation was issued after a December inspection found that Belmar failed to to address sewer overflows into the Shark River, pump stations not built to standards or with the proper approvals and no scheduled routine maintenance of the sewer system among other infractions.
“Belmar is cooperating with the department,” NJDEP Spokeswoman Caryn Shinske told the Asbury Park Press. “The DEP met with Belmar last week and Belmar has proposed closing the L Street Shark River beach to bathers until repairs to the system can be identified and corrected to prevent future discharges.”
Shinske told NJ Advance Media that the NJDEP
