All of Atlantic City's beaches are open after seven beaches remain closed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Thursday morning, due to poor water quality.

High levels of bacteria were found in the water off the state's coastline after severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall earlier this week. On Wednesday, 12 beaches were initially closed.

Atlantic City Beach Patrol Chief Steven Downey said around 2:30 p.m., that swimming was still not allowed at certain beaches and the beach patrol was waiting for testing results from the DEP.

According the state's Cooperative Coastal Monitor Program website,njbeach.org,the New Jersey Sanitary Code require the concentration bacteria must not exceed 104 colonies in a 100 milliliter sample. Sampling will continue until water-quality results return to normal levels. A beach closes if two consecutive samples at a bathing beach are higher than the state standard.

By 4:30 p.m., the DEP was reporting all beaches we open, the last being the Pennsylvania Avenue beach.

The Sierra Club of New Jersey released a statement on the contamination of shore waters, putting the blame on the Department of Environmental Protection's failed pollution protection policies.

"This is what happens when we roll back environmental protections and fail to control over-development, combined sewer overflows and storm water" said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "You would think that when it rains our water would be cleaner but instead it becomes dirtier. When it rains it pours; because it washes in polluted storm water with animal waste and even septic waste onto our beaches.

Thursday's weather was more of a damper on people's beach day than the beach closures.

Travelling from Charlotte, North Carolina, Richard Jacobson and his family were trying to make the best of their last days on the beach in Atlantic City.

Jacobson's and his two teen aged children were able to swim at the Texas Avenue beach, but had a bit of walk to find an open ocean.

"We're staying at the Claridge and of course, all the beaches are closed down there, so we had to walk up here... being that it's cloudy and cold and the water temperature isn't the greatest, the bacteria thing is a bummer, but we don't mind walking".

Red "no swimming" flags were planted and lifeguards were keeping people out of the water, but some were okay just to enjoy the sand.

"It's not ruining our day" said Alec Curry, of Philadelphia, who was on the Pennsylvania Avenue beach near Landshark Bar and Grill with friends, celebrating a recent graduation. "If it was really hot we might mind, but we're just hanging out today".

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Atlantic City beaches last to reopen after DEP water quality closure - Press of Atlantic City