The BEACH Act of 2000 is responsible for vast improvements in beach monitoring programs across the country. Prior to this legislation, some states, such as Washington, Wisconsin and Oregon, did not even have state coordinated beach monitoring programs. Other states were able to improve their already established monitoring programs with the new federal funding by adding beaches and sampling more frequently. The BEACH Act also set national water quality monitoring and reporting standards, whereas before there was inconsistency amongst the indicators of water quality that states were using to safeguard public health.
Unfortunately, perennial under-funding has prevented full state implementation of the BEACH Act and has left public health at risk in many instances. Although the BEACH Act authorizes $30 million to be awarded to coastal states annually to support their beach monitoring programs, the actual appropriation is usually around $10 million each year. Because of inadequate funding, many state programs are under-staffed and do not have the resources to meet all of their testing requirements. States are in the difficult position of having to choose which beaches to monitor and where to use their limited staff resources. Often only the highest priority beaches are sampled regularly, leaving the water quality at many beaches uncertain for most of the year. Most cold water states also only monitor their beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day, even though recreational use of beaches extends year-round.
An evaluation of the BEACH Act by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) can be viewed at http://transportation.house.gov/Media/File/water/20070712/GAO%20-%20Testimony.pdf
The Beach Protection Act of 2007, submitted by Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ) and Timothy Bishop (NY) into the House of Representatives and by Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) into the Senate, addresses the chronic under funding of the BEACH Act by raising the authorized funding level to $60 million. This bill also requires EPA and the states to do more to not only monitor water quality but to take steps towards solving our nation's beach pollution problems.
The Beach Protection Act of 2007 requires the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt rapid testing methods that will provide water quality data within hours of sampling and forces states to issue swimming advisories or beach closures within 24 hours. Currently there is a 1-3 day delay after sampling before water quality results are available and beach managers make advisory decisions. In some states this can leave the public exposed to pollutants for days before beaches are posted. Other states take a more cautious approach and issue swimming advisories after rain events. While more protective of human health, this approach can result in unnecessary beach closures and can harm local seaside economies.
New water testing methods are available now that can provide water quality information within two hours of sampling. The EPA needs to adopt these new methods and encourage their use by the states. The Beach Protection Act also sets higher standards for state beach monitoring programs. Each state must have an online database with water quality information available for each beach, and all swimming advisories and beach closures must be issued within 24 hours. While many states are already meeting or going beyond these requirements, these provisions will force the states that are lagging behind to meet these national standards.
Perhaps most importantly, the Beach Protection Act will allow the states to use their beach grants to track the source of beach water pollution and to take action to address and solve their water quality problems. Currently the states are only allowed to spend their federal beach dollars on reporting water quality data, but not on any source tracking or pollution control efforts.
The Beach Protection Act of 2007 is proposing much needed improvements to the way we protect our beaches and public health. Our coastal communities can only benefit.
Full text of the Beach Protection Act is available online at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2537
Check out a video with surfers from around the world talking about surfing in contaminated water http://www.itsyournature.org/video/Oceans
Read the Surfrider Foundation's testimony given at Congressional subcommittee hearings on the BEACH Act this past summer. http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/Testimony.aspx?TID=1500
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Testimony&Hearing_ID=4b656a6c-802a-23ad-4fe1-d56d3ec3fd15&Witness_ID=283d5c81-7419-4903-ad8e-e05912dd926b
