EPA To Provide Nearly $10 Million to Clean Up Beaches Across the Nation
February 1, 2012
The agency launches improved website for beach advisories and closures
WASHINGTON, DC – February 1, 2012 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) todayannounced that it will provide $9.8 million in grants to 38 states, territoriesand tribes to help protect the health of swimmers at America’s beaches. Theagency also launched an improved website for beach advisories and closings,which will allow the public to more quickly and easily access the most currentwater quality and pollution testing information for more than 6,000 U.S.beaches.
The website, called BEACON, hasthe capability to update as frequently as every two hours based on new dataprovided by states, territories and tribes. Users will have access to mappedlocation data for beaches and water monitoring stations, monitoring results forvarious pollutants such as bacteria and algae, and data on public notificationof beach water quality advisories and closures. For the first time, users canalso access reports that combine notifications and water quality monitoringdata. The enhanced system also uses enhanced map navigation and report displaytools.
The majority of beach advisoriesand closures in the United States are due to water test results indicatingbacterial contamination, which can make people sick. Bacterial contaminationcomes from a variety of sources. Some examples are sewer overflows, untreatedstormwater runoff, boating wastes, wildlife and pet waste, and malfunctioningseptic systems.
During each swimmingseason, state and local health and environmental protection agencies monitor thequality of water at the nation’s beaches. When bacteria levels in the water aretoo high, these agencies notify the public by posting beach warnings or closingthe beach.
The grants will help localauthorities monitor beach water quality and notify the public of conditions thatmay be unsafe for swimming. This is the 12th year that EPA is providing beachgrant funds, bringing the total amount EPA has made available to nearly $111million.
As a result, the number of monitoredbeaches has more than tripled to more than 3,600 in 2010. Grant applicationsmust be received within 60 days of publication of EPA’s notice in the FederalRegister. EPA expects to award the grants later this year.
View EPA’s enhanced beach advisory and closing information: http://watersgeo.epa.gov/BEACON2/
More information on thegrants: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/beachgrants/index.cfm
