The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing $192,000 to the NH Dept. of Environmental Services to support beach water quality monitoring and public notification efforts throughout the state.
The state will provide funding to coastal towns who will continue to protect beach goers from pollution by collecting water samples at major recreation locations, providing outreach to citizen groups, and posting advisories when beaches are unsafe for swimming because of poor water quality.
State beach monitoring data can be found on the NH DES website.
“New Hampshire takes great pride in our clean coastal waters and beaches,” says Bob Scott, Commissioner of the NH DES. “Funds from the federal BEACH program are critical for conducting hundreds of inspections annually for the purpose of providing daily updates on bacteria levels at 16 coastal beaches in New Hampshire in order to protect public health for some of the state’s most popular recreational resources.”
Nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to award up to $9.3 million of total BEACH grants this year to 39 states, territories, and tribes that meet the eligibility requirements.
“Protecting New Hampshire’s beaches is critical to safeguarding public health and sustaining local economies, especially during the summer tourism season,” says EPA New England Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn. “This funding enables our partners in New Hampshire to have the tools and resources they need to adequately monitor beach water quality and deliver timely information to the public.”
More information on grants under the BEACH Act, grant guidance, and contact information for state and local beach programs is at www.epa.gov/beach-tech/beach-grants.
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