WILDWOOD CREST – The Public Health Coordinator of Cape May County, in conjunction with the state Department of Environmental Protection, has ordered the ocean in parts of Wildwood Crest closed to the public for a period expected to last less than 24 hours as a precautionary measure following a malfunction at the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority’s (MUA) Seven-Mile Treatment Center.
According to a release, the closure took effect July 1, via correspondence to Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera from county Public Health Coordinator Kevin L. Thomas.
This closure is pending the results of ocean water quality testing and is expected to last until the morning of July 2. Affected areas include Miami Avenue through Jefferson Avenue, equivalent to about the southern third of the borough’s beachfront.
Officials from the MUA discovered July 1 that the last of three phases in its wastewater treatment system at the Seven-Mile MUA Station failed to trigger during a period from sometime June 30 in the afternoon through the morning of July 1 for treated water funneled through an outfall line that extends one mile into the ocean at Jefferson Avenue in Wildwood Crest.
The county Department of Health subsequently ordered the brief closure of the ocean for all areas within a one-mile radius of the outfall line out of an abundance of caution.
The county Department of Health is expected to have the results of its most recent water quality tests by July 2.
If such test results are within acceptable limits, the ocean will be reopened to the public accordingly.
The Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol and the Wildwood Crest Police Department executed the closure of the ocean in the aforementioned areas July 1 in the afternoon.
The beaches in those areas have remained open to the public.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
