EPA Announces over $1.7 million to Pacific Islands, Hawaii and California to Support Water Quality Monitoring for Safe Beach Recreation
HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to award up to $10 million in grants to 38 states, territories, and Tribes to develop and implement beach monitoring and notification programs nationwide. The Pacific Island territories, Hawaii and California will receive $1,757,000 to support beach monitoring activities, including efforts with an environmental justice focus.
Since 2002 EPA’s partners have used nearly $206 million in BEACH Act grants to protect beachgoers by monitoring beaches for bacteria, maintaining and operating public notification systems, identifying local pollution sources, and reporting results to EPA.
“This investment advances EPA’s commitment to environmental justice by supporting our disadvantaged communities along the coastlines of the Pacific Southwest, from Guam to California. Continued monitoring of our beaches helps us to provide safe and equitable beach access to our Pacific Island, Hawaii and California coastal communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “This funding supports local public health agencies’ ability to give communities peace of mind when taking their families to the beach.”
Over 51% of EPA Region 9’s 2022 BEACH Act grant funding will be awarded to the U.S. Pacific Island Territories, filling a critical need to provide safe beach recreation in disadvantaged coastal communities:
- American Samoa $302,000
- Guam $303,000
- Northern Mariana Islands $303,000
In addition, Hawaii will receive $324,000 in funding while $525,000 will go to California.
This funding supports the President’s Justice40 initiative, with the goal of delivering 40 percent of overall benefits of relevant federal investments to communities with environmental justice concerns. The beach water data collected directly helps EPA identify where water quality problems may be and recommend priorities for enforcement, wastewater infrastructure projects, and closures of illegal large capacity cesspools.
Under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, EPA awards grants to eligible state, territorial and Tribal applicants to help them and their local government partners monitor water quality at coastal beaches. When bacteria levels are too high for safe swimming, these agencies notify the public by posting beach warnings or closing the beach.
EPA’s most recent Beach Report found that beaches on U.S. coasts and along the Great Lakes were open and safe for swimming 92 percent of the time in 2020. Check with your local public health authority on water conditions when making plans to go the beach.
For information on grants under the BEACH Act, grant guidance and contact information for local beach programs, see: https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/beach-grants.
To check on the latest closings and advisories at specific beaches, contact your local beach program listed here.
To view data on water quality monitoring results and public notifications that have been reported to EPA over the years, see EPA’s national beach database, BEACON.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.
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