Pass the BEACH Act of 2025

The BEACH Act of 2000 directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set national standards for beach water quality monitoring and notification programs in coastal states. It also established a grants program at EPA to provide financial assistance to 35 coastal states, territories and tribes who are running these programs. 

Despite funding limitations (the federal grant program is authorized at $30 million but funding has hovered close to $10 million every year), the BEACH Act has been very successful in establishing beach monitoring programs in coastal states to protect swimmers and other beachgoers from exposure to pollution in the water that could make them sick. Across the U. S. over 3,500 beaches are monitored at least seasonally by participating state and local health and environmental agencies to protect public health at the beach and to provide valuable information on where local pollution problems exist so they can be addressed.  

Over the years, some issues with program implementation have surfaced, however, and the BEACH Act of 2025 proposes to address many of these by:

• Expanding eligible uses of BEACH Act grants to include identification of sources of pollution,
• Clarifying that “nearby upstream shallow waters” that are “adjacent to or present on” beaches or similar points of access are eligible, 
• Directing EPA to support and encourage innovations in testing technologies, and 
• Reauthorizing annual program funding at $30 million from FY 2024 – FY 2028. 

These adjustments will provide greater flexibility to states to use their BEACH Act grants to protect public health where it is most at risk locally and to make advancements towards restoring clean water. This bipartisan bill was introduced by republican Representatives Rouzer (NC) and Joyce (OH) and democrat Representatives Pallone (NJ) and Sykes (OH) in the House and Senators Wyden (OR) and Tillis (NC) in the Senate.

The Surfrider Foundation is working to build support for this bill and will continue to advocate for increased federal funding for this program so coastal states can build out more robust water quality monitoring and public notification programs to protect clean water at the beach everyone to enjoy.