David Spatz has enjoyed the beaches of Margate for the past 40 years. Spatz is a veteran newsman of the Press of Atlantic City and WOND 1400am radio. He took time on his Monday, June 18 program to talk about local beaches, dunes and ocean water quality levels. Listen below.
On June 11, Spatz never saw Margate and Ventnor ocean bacteria numbers this high.
Poor ocean water quality is anything above 104. Here are results from the June 11 test :
- Longport: 34
- Atlantic City: 155
- Margate: 135
- Ventnor: 159
Listen to David Spatz: ocean quality, dunes and beaches on WOND Radio 1400am :
High bacteria levels may result from storm water runoff from heavy rainfall. Bacteria levels often change with the weather, tides and currents.
- Atlantic County shared ocean water quality test results on June 11. Many Jersey beaches tested high for feces-related bacteria
- Swimming advisories were posted on beaches in Atlantic City, Ventnor and Margate on Tuesday, June 12.
- All restrictions were lifted as of 2p Wednesday, June 13. That’s according to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health.
Swimmers who come in contact with the contamination, may suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and flu-like symptoms.
Spatz wants to know if the newly installed network of dunes and street-sewer outfall pipes are making things worse along the beaches of Absecon Island.
Social media feedback: Kinda seems like most local media ignored this ugly little fact? Some towns downplayed it?
‘A public relations nightmare if word gets out that people who swim, could get sick’, imagined Spatz.
Spatz says something’s not right here… about ocean water quality.
Why so much contamination? The DEP says it’s probably bird poop. Others claim it’s simply storm-water runoff. Nobody wants to admit that outfall pipes, dredging and beach work contributes to occasional, heightened contamination.
Note: NJ now has 135 miles of dune. Some with outfall pipe systems. Most flooding and damage comes from bay….not ocean.
Listen to David Spatz WOND Radio 1400am
Glenn Klotz says: Every time you want to go to the beach today in Margate, you have to walk a block on the big blue, plastic carpet, and then over the berm. Needless to say, its a hike! Contrast this to Ventnor, where you access the beach from the boardwalk. You enter on a wooden ramp from the street end sidewalk and it drops you off on most streets right at the top of the berm / dune. Ventnor has a superior beachscape and boardwalk today. Margate has a degraded one. It doesn’t however, have to stay that way forever.