The majority funding goes to a group of six states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide $9.7 million in grant funding to states to be used for monitoring bacterial presence at beaches and assessing the safety of these places for beachgoers, the agency said in a May 23 statement.
Funds shall be used to monitor the quality of water at coastal and Great Lakes beaches, with grant recipients required to “notify the public if elevated levels of illness-causing bacteria make swimming unsafe,” the EPA said.
“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.”
The funds are to be disbursed to eight EPA regions, with each region composed of multiple states.
The largest grant will go to EPA Region 4, with six states in the bloc—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina—sharing $1.89 million, according to another May 23 statement from the EPA.
Funds allocated to Region 4 are expected to “help ensure safe beaches along the 2,035 miles of coastland in the Southeastern states, protecting public health while promoting tourism and economic development,” said EPA Regional Administrator Kevin McOmber.
According to the EPA, the $9.7 million funding advances two goals—cooperative federalism and making sure that U.S. citizens have access to safe and clean water.
These goals support EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, a plan outlining the agency’s priorities under President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, according to a Feb. 4 EPA statement.
“In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation, reduced toxic emissions in the air, and cleaned up hazardous sites, while fostering economic growth for families across the country. We remain committed to these priorities in this administration,” Zeldin said.
