United States
Environmental Protection OfficeofWater EPA-820-F-12-001
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EPA Grants Available to Implement Beach Monitoring
and Public Notification Programs in 2012
Summary
EPA is making almost $10 million in grants
available in 2012 to eligible coastal and Great
Lakes states, territories and tribes to help them
implement programs to monitor water quality at
their beaches and to notify the public when
water quality problems exist.
Background
Each swimming season, state and local health
and environmental protection agencies monitor
the quality of water at the nation's coastal and
Great Lakes beaches. When bacteria levels in
the water are too high, these agencies notify the
public by posting beach warnings or closing the
beach.
Congress passed the Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act in
2000 to improve water quality testing at the
beach and to help beach managers better inform
the public when there are water quality
problems.
The BEACH Act amends Section 406 of the
Clean Water Act to authorize EPA to award
grants to eligible states, territories and tribes to
develop and implement beach water quality
monitoring and notification programs for coastal
and Great Lakes recreational beach waters.
The grants also help these governments develop
and implement programs to inform the public
about the risk of exposure to disease-causing
microorganisms in the water at the nation's
beaches.
Funding
In 2012, EPA expects to award $9.8 million in
grants to eligible states, territories and tribes for
their beach water protection programs. For this
twelfth year of BEACH Act grants, EPA has set
aside funds for the Grand Portage Band of the
Minnesota Chippewa and the Makah Tribe, as
well as any eligible tribes who may apply to
develop a beach program.
EPA expects to award grants to all eligible states
and territories that apply based on an allocation
formula that considers three factors:
1) beach season length,
2) total miles of shoreline, and
3) coastal county population.
Based on this allocation formula, the amount of
each grant ranges from $150,000 to $516,000, if
all 35 eligible states and territories apply. EPA
expects all 35 eligible governments to apply. If
fewer apply or qualify for the grants, then EPA
will redistribute available funds to states
according to the following principles:
+ States that meet the eligibility requirements
for implementation grants and have met the
statutory conditions applicable to previously
awarded section 406 grants will be awarded
the full amount of funds allocated to the
state under the formula described above.
+ EPA may award program implementation
grants to local governments in states that the
Agency determines have not met the
requirements for implementation grants.
+ Consistent with CWA section 406(h), EPA
will use grant funds to conduct a beach
monitoring and notification program in the
case of a state that has no program for
monitoring and notification that is consistent
with EPA's grant performance criteria.
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What is the 2012 Allocation for Each State?
For the state or This year's allocation
territory of: is expected to be:
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Northern Marianas
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
U.S. Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
$262,000
$150,000
$302,000
$506,000
$222,000
$210,000
$516,000
$284,000
$302,000
$322,000
$241,000
$205,000
$316,000
$252,000
$266,000
$252,000
$274,000
$202,000
$253,000
$204,000
$274,000
$341,000
$300,000
$303,000
$222,000
$227,000
$221,000
$327,000
$212,000
$294,000
$379,000
$303,000
$273,000
$267,000
$224,000
Who is Eligible to Apply?
To be eligible for BEACH Act grants, states and
territories must have coastal and Great Lakes
recreational waters next to beaches or similar
points of access used by the public. In order for
a tribe to be eligible, it must have coastal and
Great Lakes recreational waters next to beaches
or similar points of access used by the public,
and also demonstrate that it meets the "treatment
in the same manner as a state" criteria contained
in Clean Water Act section 518(e). EPA
encourages those tribes with coastal recreation
waters to contact their EPA Regional beach
program coordinator (see
http: //water, epa. gov/type/oceb/beaches/whereyo
ulive state .cfm#region) for further information
on the application process.
The BEACH Act also authorizes EPA to give a
grant to a local government to implement a
monitoring and notification program, but only if
the Agency finds that the state is not
implementing a program that meets the
requirements of the Act. Local governments may
contact their EPA Regional Office's beach
program coordinator for further information.
In July 2002, EPA published the National Beach
Guidance and Required Performance Criteria
for Grants (823-B-02-004) which explains the
requirements for states, territories, tribes, and
local governments to qualify for implementation
grants (see
http://water.epa.gov/grants funding/beachgrants
/guidance index.cfnO. To get a free printed copy
of the guidance call 202-566-1729 ore-mail:
center.water-resource@epa.gov.
How Can a State or Territory Apply?
Eligible states and territories may get an
application from their EPA Regional beach
program coordinator listed in the Federal
Register Notice of Availability for the BEACH
Act grants and on EPA's website at
http://water.epa.gov/grants funding/beachgrants
/grants index.cfm.
For More Information
Please contact your EPA Regional beach
program coordinator, or contact EPA
Headquarters at 202-566-0400.
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