The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $9.75 million in grant funding to help costal and Great Lakes communities protect the health of beachgoers.
The funding will assist many states, tribes and territories in conducting water quality monitoring and public notification programs for their beaches.
Under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, the EPA awards grants eligible to state, Tribal and territorial applicants to help them and their local government partners monitor water quality at coastal and Great Lake beaches.
When bacteria levels are too high for safe swimming, the agencies will notify the public by posting beach advisories or closings.
Since 2001, the EPA has awarded nearly $230 million in BEACH Act grants to test beach waters for illness-causing bacteria, identify the sources of pollution problems and help notify the public.
Three factors influenced the EPA’s allocations for the 2024 grant amounts, including the length of the beach season, the number of miles of shoreline and the populations of coastal counties.
To be eligible for BEACH Act grants, states, Tribes and territories must have coastal and Great Lakes recreational waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access used by the public.
They must also have a water quality standards program and EPA-approved numeric recreational water quality standards for coastal waters. Additionally, eligible entities must meet 11 performance criteria for implementing monitoring, assessment and notification components of the beach program.
The awarded $9.75 million will be dispersed across 10 EPA regions upon meeting their requirements.
EPA Region 1
Connecticut $206,000
Maine $254,000
Massachusetts $254,000
New Hampshire $194,000
Rhode Island $210,000
EPA Region 2
New Jersey $258,000
New York $315,000
Puerto Rico $319,000
U.S. Virgin Islands $302,000
EPA Region 3
Delaware $209,000
Maryland $258,000
Pennsylvania $214,000
Virginia $263,000
EPA Region 4
Alabama $260,000
Florida $478,000
Georgia $279,000
Mississippi $256,000
North Carolina $293,000
South Carolina $289,000
EPA Region 5
Illinois $232,000
Indiana $205,000
Michigan $260,000
Minnesota $203,000
Ohio $216,000
Wisconsin $220,000
Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians $50,000
Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe $50,000
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community $50,000
EPA Region 6
Louisiana $347,000
Texas $373,000
EPA Region 9
American Samoa $302,000
California $477,000
Guam $302,000
Hawaii $319,000
Northern Mariana Islands $303,000
EPA Region 10
Alaska $161,029
Oregon $235,103
Washington $280,192
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community $53,676
