The Monmouth Park Racetrack is taking steps to curb manure runoff after being fined for polluting the Branchport Creek.

The racetrack can hold hundreds of horses, and heavy rain has been known to wash horse manure in the nearby creek. New Jersey has fined the racetrack thousands of dollars for contaminating the water.

Locals say they used to swim in the creek until all the poop sullied the experience."We used to come out here and jump in the water but we can't do it anymore," says Miguel Encarnacion, of Long Branch. "We would all like to enjoy this river. We live here, but we can't."

New gutters have been put on the track's barns to better handle storms. Pavement has also been ripped up and replaced with wood mulch to reduce runoff. More of the track's runoff is being sent to a local sewage authority as well.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority says dramatic improvements have been made, but it's not fool proof. The racetrack is now applying to borrow $22 million from a New Jersey environmental trust fund to make more long-term solutions.