Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants

To assist Coastal and Great Lakes States, Territories, and Tribes eligible under Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act, as amended, in developing and implementing programs that monitor bacterial water quality and notify the public for coastal recreat

To assist eligible states, territories, and tribes with coastal marine and Great Lakes waters in developing and implementing programs to monitor the water quality of recreational waters adjacent to beaches (or similar points of access) and notify the public when it is not safe to swim.

States, U.S. territories, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, environmental and public health agencies, and local governments involved in implementing monitoring and notification programs for coastal and Great Lakes beaches.

These grants are intended to support the implementation of recreational water monitoring and notification programs or support enhancement of an existing program. EPA encourages grantees to incorporate tools such as sanitary surveys and monitoring frequencies tailored to beach conditions while meeting other BEACH Act program requirements. Grantees should strive to implement the most efficient and timely means of communicating advisory information from public health agencies to the beachgoing public. To be eligible for implementation grants, programs must also demonstrate annually that they meet the program performance criteria listed in the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants, 2014 Edition (EPA-823-B-14-001. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial).

Beach grants are normally funded on a 12-month basis (yearly). However, EPA may negotiate the project period, grant continuations, and grant amendments with each applicant based on project requirements.

This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). The standard application forms as required by 2 CFR 200 and 1500 as applicable, must be used for this program.

Issuing office will provide location of application procedure details as appropriate.

To be eligible for program implementation grants, applicants must meet program performance criteria outlined in National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants, 2014 Edition (EPA-823-B-14-001). The performance criteria set forth implementation grant requirements for monitoring and assessing recreation waters and promptly notifying the public of exceedances of water quality for pathogens. As a condition of receipt of a program implementation grant under Section 406(b) of the Clean Water Act, a State or local government program for monitoring and notification under this section shall: (1) undertake a risk-based beach evaluation and classification process; (2) formulate a tiered monitoring plan based on the classification process; (3) select methods and assessment procedures that will be used in the monitoring program; (4) submit a report to the Administrator annually detailing the results of the monitoring program; (5) in the case of a state program for monitoring and notification, the process by which the state may delegate to local governments responsibility for implementing the monitoring program; (6) develop a plan for the prompt communication of the occurrence, nature, location, pollutants involved, and extent of any exceeding of, or likelihood of exceeding, applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators; (7) take such actions as are required to notify the public of exceedances of applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators; (8) submit a report annually to the Administrator detailing the results of the notification program; (9) describe the process by which the state may delegate to local governments responsibility for implementing the notification responsibilities under the grant; (10) provide schedules to the Administrator for the adoption of new or revised water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators; and (11) conduct a public evaluation of the program. Applications are also assessed consistent with the merit review regulations in 2 CFR 200.205.

Grant applications are reviewed by the appropriate EPA Regional Office, and if approved, are awarded by the Regional Administrator.

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines.

Grants are usually approved within three months of receipt of complete application.

Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable.