UPDATE: High bacteria levels close 12 Jersey Shore beaches

BELMAR — Heavy rains may have caused high levels of bacteria at Jersey Shore beaches, causing officials to close 12 of them and to place one under advisory following new testing on Wednesday.

A beach is closed after two consecutive days of results that exceed the state standard of 104 colonies per 100 milliliters per sample. Beaches under advisory mean they have tested positive for high levels of bacteria for one day and results are pending for the following day.

In most cases, people may still be allowed on the sand of a closed beach even though water access is restricted.

Levels of Enterococci bacteria at the 193 beaches monitored by the Department of Environmental Protection's Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program tend to spike in some locations because of a build-up of waste from geese, seagull and other animals following heavy rains.

Some of the higher levels were also spiked by the gates to Wreck Pond being opened to allow water to flow to the ocean, officials said. Trenches were also dug into the beach in Sea Girt.