Pallone Announces $258,000 to Support Water Quality Monitoring at New Jersey Beaches

In February, NJ’s 6th District Congressman Introduced Bipartisan Legislation to Extend and Expand Funding for BEACH Act

LONG BRANCH, NEW JERSEY – Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) today announced $258,000 funding to assist New Jersey in conducting beach water quality monitoring and public notification programs. Pallone also advocated for Congress to pass his bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and reform the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, a law signed in 2000 requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a grant program and guidance for keeping states’, Tribes’, and territories’ recreational waters clean. 

“With our district home to some of America’s most popular summer destinations, we know better than most the importance of protecting our beaches,” said Congressman Pallone. “Federal support is indispensable to ensure our beaches are safe and clean. As New Jerseyans and countless others flock to our state’s beaches for a great summer, now is the perfect time for the allocation of this federal support so swimmers know the water is clean to enjoy. I will always prioritize federal support for New Jersey beaches.”

“We are thankful for this important legislation and funding.  The safety of our residents and summer visitors is top of mind for us, as in the importance of protecting this priceless asset- our beaches,” Larry Fox, mayor of Bradley Beach. 

“This funding helps keep beaches and coastal waters safe so that people can have fun, relax and enjoy all the beauty that New Jersey coastlines have to offer,” said Lisa Garcia, EPA Regional Administrator. “EPA funding is vital for successful beach monitoring and notification programs.”  

“The Department of Environmental Protection and our local partners are extremely grateful for EPA’s continued support of New Jersey’s highly successful Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program,” said New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. La Tourette. “This funding supports the important work done through a longstanding partnership between the DEP and local health departments to monitor and report on water quality so that residents and visitors can enjoy carefree and fun days at the beach. As a result of these efforts, the public can easily visit njbeaches.org to find information about water quality data and beach status reports before heading down the shore to enjoy our consistently excellent water quality.”

 “The BEACH Act is critical legislation for coastal communities across the United States to safeguard the health and wellness of their community members, visitors, environment, and economies,” states American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, Program Coordinator, Annie Mercer. “We applaud the continued commitment at the national level to prioritize policy which preserves and protects one of our most precious natural resources, our beaches and shorelines.” 

"Our waters should be safe for swimming, yet too often, pathogens from pollution put our health at risk. The Shore right now is already packed, especially in this heat wave. Now is the time to provide federal funding to ensure that we can always let the public know when it’s safe – and not safe – to get in the water. BEACH Act data has been vital to documenting this problem, and the bipartisan BEACH Act will help New Jersey to provide faster same-day testing and to better identify the solutions to solve pathogen pollution," said April Nicklaus, Campaign Organizer with Environment New Jersey.

In February, Congressman Pallone introduced the BEACH Act of 2024 with Congressmembers Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Dave Joyce (OH-14), and David Rouzer (NC-07). The bipartisan bill would reauthorize the program for five years and expand eligible uses of grants to include identification of sources of contamination. BEACH Act funds are currently eligible to be used for the monitoring and notification of contamination, but not identification of sources. Adding identification of sources as an eligible use of funds will help address the root causes of a contamination issue that BEACH Act funds are already being used to monitor. 

The legislation also expands the eligible testing locations to include shallow recreational waters adjacent to beaches, such as a stream that runs across a beach, providing a safer and more inclusive experience for people of different ages and ability. Additionally, the legislation improves government efficiency by requiring EPA to consider innovations in rapid testing that may help grantees more quickly notify the public of health threats.

Pallone is also pushing to secure $15 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to fund the BEACH Act Grants program with support from a record number of bipartisan Members this year.

Since 2001, the EPA has awarded nearly $230 million in BEACH Act grants to test beach waters for illness-causing bacteria and help notify the public.  

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