EPA to Provide Over $9 Million to States to Help Protect Beachgoers from Illness
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $9.7 million in grant funding that states, Tribes, and territories will use to monitor water quality at coastal and Great Lakes beaches and to notify the public if elevated levels of illness-causing bacteria make swimming unsafe.
“Millions of Americans will travel to the beach this summer to relax or play in the water. They will make lifelong memories and provide a boon to local economies,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Peggy Browne. “With $9.7 million from EPA, states and local authorities can help ensure that our beaches are open for business and that beachgoers can swim and splash without fear of getting sick.”
This funding is authorized by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act and it advances the goals of cooperative federalism and ensuring that every American has access to clean and safe water. Each of these goals supports EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative.
EPA anticipates that it will award grants to the following eligible recipients after all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied:
EPA Region 1
- Connecticut: $209,000
- Maine: $258,000
- Massachusetts: $258,000
- New Hampshire: $194,000
- Rhode Island: $214,000
EPA Region 2
- New Jersey: $266,000
- New York: $328,000
- Puerto Rico: $321,000
- U.S. Virgin Islands: $126,000
EPA Region 3
- Delaware: $210,000
- Maryland: $265,000
- Pennsylvania: $216,000
- Virginia: $271,000
EPA Region 4
- Alabama: $261,000
- Florida: $499,000
- Georgia: $282,000
- Mississippi: $257,000
- North Carolina: $299,000
- South Carolina: $294,000
EPA Region 5
- 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
- Illinois: $236,000
- Indiana: $205,000
- Michigan: $267,000
- Minnesota: $204,000
- Ohio: $219,000
- Wisconsin: $222,000
EPA Region 6
- Louisiana: $359,000
- Texas: $382,000
EPA Region 9
- American Samoa: $302,000
- California: $498,000
- Guam: $302,000
- Hawaii: $321,000
- Northern Mariana Islands: $303,000
EPA Region 10
- Alaska: $150,000
- Makah Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation: $50,000
- Oregon: $221,000
- Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: $50,000
- Washington: $268,000
Learn more about the BEACH Act grants.
Before heading to the shore, check the relevant state, Tribal or territorial beach program website for closing or advisory information.
Background
To be eligible for BEACH Act grants, states, Tribes, and territories must have coastal or 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. Each grantee receives an amount based on the length of the beach season, the number of miles of shoreline and the populations of coastal counties.
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