EPA Grant to Protect Health at Beaches
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency presented Maryland with a $269,250 grant on May 30 to help protect health at Maryland beaches. The grant comes under EPA's BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act of 2000, which, to date, has awarded $62 million to help 35 states and territories improve water testing and public notification of health risks during the summer.
"EPA is proud to partner with Maryland to help bring awareness to public health issues at Maryland’s beautiful seashore that is visited and cherished by thousands of residents each year," said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.
Maryland’s grant will be used to enhance beach monitoring and public notification of potential health risks at beaches, including support of online programs that provide updated information on beach conditions. Some funding will also be given to county governments and health agencies to focus on local beach projects.
For more information about Maryland's beach program, visit
www.mde.state.md.us/citizensinfocenter/health/beaches.asp. For more information on the beach grants, visit
www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/coast/beachmd.htm.