Swimming hole dangers prompt NJ wildlife area closures
May 29, 2021
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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) New Jersey officials are cracking down on unauthorized use of swimming holes in several places in the New Jersey Pinelands heading into the holiday weekend that marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season.
Social media users in search of “blue hole” swimming have helped drive an “unprecedented” number of people to once-hidden spots so named because of the deep color of the water in some New Jersey Pinelands locations associated with old quarries, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
There are no lifeguards at the swimming holes, which can be 50 to 100 feet deep in some areas, and several have seen drownings over the years, the paper said.
Cedar Lake in Monroe Township, Gloucester County is among four parks in South Jersey closed due to what New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife labeled unprecedented unauthorized use.
The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has closed six areas in its Wildlife Management Area System, including five in South Jersey, for the summer due to unprecedented unauthorized use.
The emergency closures include targeted areas located within Cedar Lake in Monroe Township (Gloucester County); two separate areas in Greenwood Forest in Lacey Township, Menantico Ponds in Millville, Wildcat Ridge in Rockaway Township, and the Winslow Wildlife Management Area.
Officials said the areas have drawn large crowds, and include former quarry pits where illegal swimming takes place. Swimming is prohibited and extremely dangerous due to the depth and low temperature of the water which can threaten life and safety, the Division of Fish and Wildlife in a statement.