Project Grant 95348301

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants (CFDA 66.472) provides $214,000 in federal funding to the Erie County Department of Health (ECDH) in Pennsylvania. The funding supports ECDH's efforts to monitor the water quality of up to 9 permitted recreational beaches along Lake Erie and communicate water quality conditions to the public. Key activities include weekly water sample collection, bacteriological testing, development of a predictive water quality model, and posting of online and in-person swimming advisories when water quality thresholds are exceeded. ECDH will collaborate with the Regional Science Consortium, a subrecipient 501(c)(3) organization, to implement the beach monitoring and public notification program. Expected outcomes include informing the public of current beach water quality, improving the predictive capacity of the water quality model, and providing EPA with monitoring and advisory data. The award period is from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.