UPDATE: Ocean reopens after water tests come back

A mechanical failure that allowed some untreated wastewater into the Atlantic forced the closure of the ocean in Wildwood Crest Monday.

The ocean in Wildwood Crest is closed from Miami Avenue through Jefferson Avenue — more than a half-mile stretch of beach — due to a malfunction at a water treatment facility owned by Cape May County.

Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera said he received a message from the Cape May County Municipal Utility Authority (CMCMUA) Monday morning stating a mechanical malfunction occurred in the sodium hypochlorite disinfection system at the CMCMUA’s Seven Mile Treatment Center and discharged one mile off the shore through the Jefferson Avenue outfall line.

Cabrera said out of an abundance of caution, county and state health officials closed the ocean within a one-mile radius of the outfall line that extends into the ocean.

A press release issued by the city stated officials from the Cape May County MUA discovered one of the final stages in the wastewater treatment system at the Seven-Mile MUA Station did not function properly at some point between Sunday afternoon through Monday morning.

The Cape May County Department of Health will have results from the most recent water test Tuesday morning.

The Wildwood Crest mayor expects the results to come back clear of anything that would harm beachgoers. However, Cabrara does not want to have this situation happen again in the future.

“Going forward, the borough of Wildwood Crest is going to ensure, in conjunction with the county departments and MUA, that this doesn’t happen again,” Cabrera said. “Everybody makes mistakes, and equipment fails. We get that. But what can we do not to have this happen again.”

The beaches at the locations affected by the ocean closure remain open and protected by the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol and Wildwood Crest Police Department.

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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