State environmental officials banned shellfish harvesting in the Shark River last year because of the pollution
NEPTUNE CITY -- State environmental officials say they've located and eliminated a major source of pollution of the Shark River, a popular body of water in Monmouth County where shellfish harvesting was suspended late last year because of health dangers there.
Engineers and scientists have traced a major source of river pollution to two leaking municipal sewer lines that spilled sewage into a stormwater discharge pipe at West Sylvania Avenue in Neptune City, said state Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin.
The city has since repaired those pipes, Martin added.
Shellfish harvesting off-limits in Shark River for health dangers
But that doesn't mean shellfish harvesting in the river will immediately reopen. Agency officials will compare new data about shellfish in that area to data collected over the past three or four years to determine how quickly any improvements occur, said Bob Considine, a DEP spokesman. He said that comparison process will take time in order to ensure any changes are consistent rather than an anomaly.
"We optimistic we'll see those improvements to upgrade the waters in the near future," he said.
Because of the complexity of the piping network and the size of the area, the DEP enlisted the help of engineers from the state Department of Transportation who used dye and cameras to locate the leaks, Martin said.
"We still have a lot more work ahead of us, but this is a great step toward identifying and tracking sources of bacteria that impact shellfish beds and can diminish the public's recreational enjoyment of the river," said Ray Bukowski, the DEP's assistant commissioner for Compliance and Enforcement, who organized the track-down effort.
Because of extremely high levels of fecal coliform, the DEP in November suspended the harvesting of clams from two sections of the nearly 12-mile river, which is a u-shaped basin connected to the ocean by a narrow inlet.
The ban covers 122 acres in the northern section in Neptune City and 144 acres in the western section in Belmar.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.