The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making almost $10 million in grants available to 37 eligible coastal and Great Lakes states, territories and tribes to monitor beach water quality and notify the public of conditions that may be unsafe for swimming.
The funds are made available under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000. EPA estimates that one-third of all Americans visit coastal areas each year, making a total of 910 million trips while spending more than $40 billion annually. EPA also estimates that coastal recreation and the related tourism industry together serve 180 million Americans, support more than 28 million jobs and generate billions of dollars in goods and services each year.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/grants/.