BY KEITH HEUMILLER

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN The townships two public beaches will be off-limits to swimmers until further notice, as the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) scans for debris that could potentially lie offshore as a result of superstorm Sandy.

While bathing at Leonardo could resume if the DEP verifies that there are no hazards in the water, the swimming prohibition at Ideal Beach will likely continue throughout the summer, according to Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante.

Ideal Beach is going to be undergoing beach replenishment this summer, said Mercantante, referring to an Army Corps of Engineers project that will pump new sand onto beaches from Keansburg to Pews Creek.

We havent been given a specific timeframe, and right now were not sure if they are going to start on the Keansburg end or the Middletown end. But its going to be a fairly lengthy project, so it would be very difficult to hire or schedule lifeguards.

Without lifeguards, who usually patrol the two beaches on weekends throughout the summer, Ideal and Leonardo beaches will only be open to sunbathers, volleyball players and other recreation seekers. Swimmers will unfortunately have to wait, according to Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger.

I know the DEP has been very aggressive in addressing these kinds of issues, Scharfenberger said during a May 29 interview. We have been in constant contact with them. They have a lot of efforts that are ongoing up and down the coast people on boats out there picking up just a massive volume of material.

Earlier this year, the DEP contracted multiple companies to scan the Raritan and Sandy Hook bays and other tidal waterways throughout the state for Sandy-related debris, using sonar to locate any potentially dangerous material and removing it from the path of boats and bathers.

Shortly after the storm, Mercantante said residents identified debris in waterways such as Comptons Creek and Ware Creek. Fishermen at the Belford Seafood Cooperative reported seeing dumpsters in the water, which were removed by ferry companies shortly thereafter.

Go here to read the rest:

Middletown beaches closed to bathers