MEDFORD A malfunctioning sewer pump, geese droppings and too much rain have been blamed for the closing of two lakefront beaches this week.

The Oakwood Colony Club has been closed because of a sewage leak from a manhole on nearby Elm Drive on Sunday afternoon.

The Lake Pine Colony Club has been closed since Monday due to a high level of coliform bacteria in the water.

Testing was done Wednesday at both locations to see when the lakes beaches could reopen.

By state law, the water in lakes where swimming is allowed needs to be tested weekly for bacteria, said Laura Saunders, Lake Pines president. If the bacteria level comes back too high, the water must be retested before the beaches can reopen.

Weve had so much rain since Memorial Day, Saunders said, attributing the closure to contamination in stormwater runoff entering the milelong lake and stirring the lake bottoms.

According to information provided on the clubs Facebook page, water from near three beaches on the lake all tested with about 1,000 coliform colonies per 100 milliliters. The club states that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires a beach to close when a count exceeds 200 colonies for two consecutive tests, or 400 for a single test, until further testing determines it is safe to reopen.

We close several times a year. They retest, and then we reopen, Saunders said.

Coliform are normally found in soil, vegetation, and the waste of warm-blooded animals. When higher-than-normal concentrations infiltrate a waterway, its an indication that other disease-causing bacteria and viruses also may have contaminated the water.

Lake Pine is a private club open to nearby residents. About 400 families are members.

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Beaches at Medford clubs closed due to contamination