Project Grant 00A01424

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $236,000 Project Grant under the Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants (CFDA 66.472) to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for the period of October 1, 2023 through May 31, 2025. The purpose of this grant is to fund CT DPH's efforts to monitor designated recreational beaches in Connecticut for bacteriological water quality and notify the public when the waters exceed applicable water quality standards. Key activities include monitoring and analyzing indicator bacteria at coastal beaches, maintaining and operating a public notification system, improving laboratory and data management capabilities, providing technical assistance to communities on pollution sources, and reporting monitoring and notification results to the EPA. CT DPH has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to conduct monitoring and public notification at state park beaches. The beneficiaries of this program are the residents and tourists that visit marine beaches in Connecticut.