All areas of ocean open to the public in Wildwood Crest

PRESS RELEASE

The ocean in Wildwood Crest is now open to the public following the results of water quality tests conducted Monday in the wake of a malfunction at the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority’s Wildwood Lower Wastewater Treatment Plant.

All results of the most recent water quality testing in the affected areas from Miami Avenue to Jefferson Avenue were clean, according to Kevin Thomas, Cape May County Public Health Coordinator. Those test results were released Tuesday morning.

The aforementioned areas of the ocean were closed to the public early Monday afternoon by the Cape May County Department of Health as a precautionary measure, after officials from the Cape May County MUA discovered Monday morning that the last of three phases in its wastewater treatment system at the Wildwood Lower Wastewater Treatment Plant failed to trigger during a period from sometime Sunday afternoon through Monday morning for treated water funneled through an outfall line that extends one mile into the ocean at Jefferson Avenue in Wildwood Crest.

At no time did the Cape May County Department of Health receive negative water quality test results in the affected areas. However, the ocean was closed only out of an abundance of caution until the results of the most recent water quality tests became known.

“We’re glad that, as expected, the latest water quality tests came back clean and we are happy to report that the ocean is open throughout the entire borough,” said Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera. “The Borough of Wildwood Crest supports the Cape May County Department of Health’s decision to briefly close the ocean in the southern end of our community as a precautionary measure. We’d never want anyone to go into the ocean without knowing it was safe for any reason. The health and safety of the public will always be our top priority.

“The borough will be proactive and will work with the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Cape May County MUA in attempting to discover what caused this issue to ensure that this will not happen again in the future.”