KEYPORT — There are still more questions than answers related to materials that were discovered along the shoreline in this Monmouth County borough.

Workers hit Bayfront Beach this week during low tide to remove the unknown slag-like material that was spotted by a water quality advocate on July 17.

The removal plan was announced in late July by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Officials said the plan was being implemented "out of an abundance of caution," since the 200-yard stretch of beach is used by the public for crabbing and fishing.

NJDEP collected samples of the material, which are being tested for heavy metals such as lead.

On Wednesday, NJDEP said results of the sampling are expected within a week's time.

"We'll also evaluate whether it is associated with any nearby former or current industrial activities, to identify whether there is an entity responsible for this so we can hold them accountable," NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said during a July 26 press conference. "Right now, we don't know the source of this material."

As of now, there are no indications that the questionable materials are connected to the Raritan Bay Slag superfund site in Middlesex County.

Officials have suggested that the waste was dumped at the quiet beach location, or that it's a remnant of the former Aeromarine industrial site.

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