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Beaches in Good Shape for Holiday Vacationers

Release Date: 05/22/2008
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548 Sternberg.david@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA (May 22, 2008) In celebration of the Memorial Day holiday and the unofficial beginning of the summer season, tens of thousands of people will make their annual pilgrimage to beaches up and down the Atlantic coast.

“Thousands of families look forward to vacationing at our mid-Atlantic coastal beaches, and knowing ahead of time that the waters are healthy is a relief," said Donald S. Welsh, EPA's mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. "EPA is committed to keeping the nation's beaches clean and healthy. EPA estimates that Americans make 910 million trips to coastal areas each year, spending about $44 billion.

Indicators show that the mid-Atlantic coastal waters are in good condition. EPA is making $9.75 million nationally in grants available this year under the BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act of 2000 to continue improvements to coastal beach water sampling and informing the public when problems occur. Of that amount, mid-Atlantic programs will receive:

Delaware: $207,730 Maryland: $266,900
Erie County, Pennsylvania: $219,650 Virginia: $274,650

The amounts are based on a number of factors including the length of beach season, miles of beaches and the number of people using the beaches. BEACH grant funds have helped improve and expand beach monitoring programs, including looking for sources of contaminants when indicator levels rise so that those sources can be addressed.

To learn more about our mid-Atlantic beaches, please visit:
http://epa.gov/reg3esd1/coast/beach.htm

To learn about EPA’s BEACH grant program, go to:
https://www.epa.gov/beaches

Radio Editors’ Note: Questions and answers about beaches are available in mp3 format.
See our radio news webpage www.epa.gov/region03/radionews.htm