SEATTLE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will award $723,000 in grants to monitor beach water quality and set up public notification programs in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, officials have announced.
The programs will also be carried out by the Makah and Swinomish tribes, the EPA said in a Monday press release.
“Strong partnerships are essential to protecting public health and the environment,” said Radhika Fox, EPA principal deputy assistant administrator for water.
“With this funding, EPA’s partners can improve water quality monitoring efforts to better protect health and wellness.”
The funds will be used to monitor beaches for fecal bacteria, maintain and operate public notification systems, identify local pollution sources and report results of monitoring and notification activities to EPA and the public, officials said.
When elevated levels of bacteria are detected, the funding will support beach warning or beach closing notifications to protect public health.
