Thursday, July 29: All New Jersey public beaches are safe for swimming again, according to test results released Thursday afternoon.

Not a moment too soon: Another day of testing would have put the all-important weekend in jeopardy for towns with dirty beaches.

Water sampling showing unacceptably high levels of fecal bacteria earlier this week, leading to 3 closures and 31 advisories up and down the Shore.

The tests are part of a weekly monitoring program that is on the lookout for enterococcus, which is considered a warning sign of dangerous pathogens.

The standard for safe swimming is less than 104 colony forming units, or cfu, per 100 milliliters of water.

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Per NJbeaches.org, here are the beaches that tested above the safe swimming threshold on Tuesday, their latest test results and their status today:

Sea Girt, Beacon, 3 cfu, open

Beacon, 3 cfu, Sea Girt, The Terrace, 3 cfu, open

The Terrace, 3 cfu, Barnegat Light, 25th St Bay Front, 30 cfu, open

25th St Bay Front, 30 cfu, Beachwood, Beachwood Beach West, 100 cfu, open

Beachwood Beach West, 100 cfu, Long Beach, New Jersey, 10 cfu, open

New Jersey, 10 cfu, Pine Beach, West Beach Avon Road, 50 cfu, open

West Beach Avon Road, 50 cfu, Stafford Township, Jennifer, 30 cfu, open

Jennifer, 30 cfu, Somers Point City, New Jersey Avenue, 15 cfu, open

New Jersey Avenue, 15 cfu, Ventnor City, Austin Avenue, 10 cfu, open

Austin Avenue, 10 cfu, Ventnor City, New Haven, 30 cfu, open

New Haven, 30 cfu, Ventnor City, Dorset, 20 cfu, open

Dorset, 20 cfu, Atlantic City, Georgia, 55 cfu, open

Georgia, 55 cfu, Atlantic City, Annapolis Avenue, 15 cfu, open

Annapolis Avenue, 15 cfu, Atlantic City, Missouri, 65 cfu, open

Missouri, 65 cfu, Atlantic City, North Carolina, 5 cfu, open

North Carolina, 5 cfu, Atlantic City, Pennsylvania, 5 cfu, open

Pennsylvania, 5 cfu, Atlantic City, Montgomery Avenue, 10 cfu, open

Montgomery Avenue, 10 cfu, Atlantic City, Bartram, 20 cfu, open

Swallowing any contaminated water could result in cramps and diarrhea from gastrointestinal illnesses, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Every Tuesday online, the Press and app.com will post water-quality test results from every Jersey Shore beach that exceeds federal safe swimming standards for fecal bacteria.

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Wednesday, July 26: Bacteria levels dropped at several beaches, but 15 New Jersey swimming beaches were closed after their water tests did not improve according to the results of Tuesday's test that were made available on Wednesday.

A total of 19 beaches statewide were given notices as of Wednesday afternoon, in what is the most serious outbreak of bacteria at the Shore this summer. Thirty-four beaches were given notices after Monday's tests found bacteria levels high at 1 in 6 beaches.

The 34 notices were the most so far in 2017 and serve as a reminder of how overdevelopment, outdated infrastructure and heavy rains can combine to erode water quality and endanger bathers.

Wednesday's results found seven beaches bacteria levels high in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Four beaches were given an advisory notice and three were closed.

A dozen beaches in Atlantic County were moved from advisory listings to closures following Wednesday's test results.

The beaches will be tested again.

Per NJbeaches.org, here are the beaches that tested above the safe swimming threshold on Wednesday and are under an advisory or closed today:

Sea Girt, Beacon, cfu 110

Sea Girt, The Terrace, 300

Barnegat Light, 25th St Bay Front, 300

Beachwood, Beachwood Beach West, closed 440

Long Beach, New Jersey, cfu 120

Pine Beach, West Beach Avon Road, closed 120

Stafford Township, Jennifer, closed 80

Somers Point City, New Jersey Avenue, closed

Ventnor City, Austin Avenue, closed

Ventnor City, New Haven, closed

Ventnor City, Dorset, closed

Ventnor City, Washington, closed

Atlantic City, Georgia, closed

Atlantic City, Annapolis Avenue, closed

Atlantic City, Missouri, closed

Atlantic City, North Carolina, closed

Atlantic City, Pennsylvania, closed

Atlantic City, Montgomery Avenue, closed

Atlantic City, Bartram, closed

Tuesday, July 25: Thirty-one New Jersey swimming beaches were under a bacteria advisory and three others were closedTuesday, in a harsh reminder of how overdevelopment, outdated infrastructure and heavy rains can combine to erode water quality and endanger bathers.

Island Heights public beach closed after test results showed the water there was 17 times the safe swimming standard for enterococcus, a bacteria that grows inside the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals and can be found alongside their feces.

Beaches in Beachwood and Pine Beach were also not open for closed to swimmers in response to rarely seen levels of bacteria.

But it's not just Toms River beaches that are struggling with bacteria. One in 6 public beaches statewide failed testing.

The advisories are widespread, putting swimmers from Highlands to Wildwood on notice, and marking the most serious outbreak of bacteria at the Shore this summer.

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The tests are part of a weekly monitoring program that is on the lookout for enterococcus, which is considered a warning sign of dangerous pathogens.

The standard for safe swimming is less than 104 colony forming units, or cfu, per 100 milliliters of water.

Per NJbeaches.org, here are the beaches that tested above the safe swimming threshold on Monday and are under an advisory or closed today:

Middletown , Ideal Beach, 140 cfu

, Ideal Beach, 140 cfu Highlands , Miller Beach, 160 cfu

, Miller Beach, 160 cfu Sea Bright , Rumson Road, 160 cfu

, Rumson Road, 160 cfu Long Branch , North Bath Avenue, 110 cfu

, North Bath Avenue, 110 cfu Long Branch , South Bath Avenue, 320 cfu

, South Bath Avenue, 320 cfu Deal , Phillips Avenue, 130 cfu

, Phillips Avenue, 130 cfu Deal , Hathaway Avenue, 150 cfu

, Hathaway Avenue, 150 cfu Spring Lake , York Avenue, 110 cfu

, York Avenue, 110 cfu Sea Girt , New York Boulevard, 140 cfu

, New York Boulevard, 140 cfu Point Pleasant , River beach, 150 cfu

, River beach, 150 cfu Point Pleasant Beach , Maryland Avenue, 110 cfu

, Maryland Avenue, 110 cfu Ortley Beach , 4th Avenue, 140 cfu

, 4th Avenue, 140 cfu Ortley Beach , North Beach Drive, 450 cfu

, North Beach Drive, 450 cfu Island Heights , Summit Avenue, 1,800 cfu, closed

, Summit Avenue, 1,800 cfu, Beachwood , West beach, 1,300 cfu, closed

, West beach, 1,300 cfu, Pine Beach , Avon Road, 920 cfu, closed

, Avon Road, 920 cfu, Ocean Gate , Wildwood Avenue, 160 cfu

, Wildwood Avenue, 160 cfu Beach Haven West , Jennifer Lane, 120 cfu

, Jennifer Lane, 120 cfu Atlantic City , Pennsylvania Avenue, 440 cfu

, Pennsylvania Avenue, 440 cfu Atlantic City , North Carolina Avenu, 140 cfu

, North Carolina Avenu, 140 cfu Atlantic City , Missouri Avenue, 122 cfu

, Missouri Avenue, 122 cfu Atlantic City , Georgia Avenue, 125 cfu

, Georgia Avenue, 125 cfu Atlantic City , Annapolis Avenue, 130 cfu

, Annapolis Avenue, 130 cfu Atlantic City , Bartram Place, 175 cfu

, Bartram Place, 175 cfu Atlantic City , Montgomery Avenue, 120 cfu

, Montgomery Avenue, 120 cfu Ventnor , Austin Avenue, 305 cfu

, Austin Avenue, 305 cfu Ventnor , South Dorset Avenue, 360 cfu

, South Dorset Avenue, 360 cfu Ventnor , New Haven Avenue, 382 cfu

, New Haven Avenue, 382 cfu Ventnor , Washington Avenue, 170 cfu

, Washington Avenue, 170 cfu Ocean City , Surf Road, 120 cfu

, Surf Road, 120 cfu Somers Point , New Jersey Avenue, 120 cfu

, New Jersey Avenue, 120 cfu Ocean City , North Street, 120 cfu

, North Street, 120 cfu Ocean City , Park Place, 120 cfu

, Park Place, 120 cfu North Wildwood, 2nd Avenue and JFK Boulevard, 120 cfu

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Swallowing any contaminated water could result in cramps and diarrhea from gastrointestinal illnesses, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The beaches in violation after Monday's testing were re-tested Tuesday morning and those results will be posted on app.com on Wednesday morning as soon as they are released.

While the number of bacteria advisories might give one pause, it's not necessarily surprising.

In New Jersey, rainfall is closely linked to high bacteria levels. Bacteria counts tend to spike following precipitation, and then moderate as the rainwater is dispersed into the river, bay or ocean.

Heavy downpours flushed the region over the weekend, creating a torrent of storm runoff into streams and creeks that feed into rivers and bays and, ultimately, the ocean.

In areas where little green space remains, there is not enough ground to soak up the water. Instead, the rain is destined for storm sewers, which act like a highway for the waste carried by the water.

Beaches on northern parts of the Jersey Shore are also susceptible to contamination from neighbors across the bay in New York and northern New Jersey, where raw sewage combines with rainwater when their storm sewers are overwhelmed.

Here's rainfall totals from Saturday through Monday morning for selected towns, according to the New Jersey Weather and Climate Network and the National Weather Service:

New York City (Manhattan), 1.37 inches

(Manhattan), 1.37 inches Holmdel , 2.22 inches

, 2.22 inches Wall , 1.39 inches

, 1.39 inches Toms River , 1.18 inches

, 1.18 inches Harvey Cedars , 4.3 inches

, 4.3 inches Atlantic City, 1.32 inches

Cape May, 1.32 inches

Every Tuesday online, the Press and app.com will post water-quality test results from every Jersey Shore beach that exceeds federal safe swimming standards for fecal bacteria.

Daily flight report

Along with water sampling, the state of New Jersey also conducts coastal flights six days a week. A small plane will fly up and down the Shore, looking for floating debris, remotely sensing for algal blooms and spotting marine life.

In the past week, pilots noticed:

"Dolphins were spotted off of Deal, Spring Lake, Island Beach State Park, Barnegat Light and Strathmere. ... Skates and baitfish are being spotted all along the coast."

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Wednesday, July 17: Algae patches detected off the Monmouth coast have dissipated, according to a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

"Algae is natural," the DEP's Larry Hajna told the Asbury Park Press this morning. "We do look for it from the air just to be on top of any blooms of potentially harmful algae occurs. Those types of blooms are extremely rare."

So the water is fine ... but now the air isn't: An Ozone Action Day has been declared for Tuesday and another is expected to be announced Wednesday.

The smog warning is meant to alert sensitive groups — the young and the old, as well as those with respiratory issues — to take it easy outside and stay indoors as much as possible.

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As if often the case, the air quality issues are accompanied by an oppressive heat. Some parts of the Shore will experience a heat wave — three straight days of highs in the 90s — while other areas will flirt with the idea.

High humidity means it will be uncomfortable no matter your location.

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Tuesday, July 18: All Jersey Shore beaches passed their weekly bacteria tests, according to results released this afternoon, but another threat has emerged.

A coastal surveillance flight detected elevated chlorophyll levels — an indicator of a possible algal bloom — off of the central Monmouth coast on Monday, according to state Department of Environmental Protection flight reports.

Algal blooms can produce toxins that have the potential to be deadly to sea life and humans, but those are extremely rare.

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Most algal blooms are simply a sign of poor water quality, according to the National Ocean Service. However, blooms are a turn-off for bathers, who don't want to swim in scummy water.

"Some green colored water was visible" off the Monmouth coastline, reads the daily report.

"We will continue to monitor the area for signs of an algal bloom," the report continued.

Today's flight report has not been released as of 12:30 p.m. and a spokesman for the DEP told the Asbury Park Press that there was no additional information.

There is also a moderate risk of rip currents, according to the Mount Holly office of the National Weather Service. Swimmers should check with nearby lifeguards for exact conditions.

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The bacteria tests are part of a monitoring program that is on the lookout for enterococcus, a bacteria that grows inside the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals and can be found alongside their feces. This kind of bacteria is considered a warning sign of dangerous pathogens.

More than 180 million people will visit beaches in America in any given year and 3 million or 4 million will get sick from swimming in tainted beach water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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New Jersey beaches, while logging their most dirty tests in seven years last summer, are generally well regarded when it comes to water quality, according to a 2016 Press analysis of 52,000 test results.

You can find the worst-performing Shore beaches in the video below:

Every Tuesday online, the Press and app.com will post water-quality test results from every Jersey Shore beach that exceeds federal safe swimming standards for fecal bacteria.

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Daily flight report

Along with water sampling, the state of New Jersey also conducts coastal flights six days a week. A small plane will fly up and down the Shore, looking for floating debris, remotely sensing for algal blooms and spotting marine life.

In addition to the algal blooms, pilots noticed:

Marine life was abundant. For example on Thursday, spotters skates "all along the coast. Dolphins seen at Long Branch, Manasquan, Ocean City, Stone Harbor, Wildwood and Cape May. Baitfish also abundant along entire coast.

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com