Water Quality Tops Poll of NJ Beach Concerns

Water quality, overdevelopment, and continued replenishment of beaches top the list of concerns for respondents to a poll on Jersey shore issues.

The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium asked people who voted in its popular Top 10 beaches contest to list their No. 1 concern about the Jersey shore.

Topping the list was the overall quality of water at the shore, cited by 30 percent of the nearly 6,000 respondents. Over-development at the shore was next.

Beach replenishment placed third, followed by public access to New Jersey’s beaches; beach and marine debris; protecting shorebirds and marine life; flooding; the health of Barnegat Bay; balancing coastal resources, and the quality of seafood caught in New Jersey.

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