Protecting Water Quality at America's Beaches

Protecting Water Quality at America's Beaches PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Protecting Water Quality at America's Beaches

Protecting Water Quality at America's Beaches PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Reauthorization of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act

Reauthorization of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bacterial pollution of water
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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National beach guidance and required performance criteria for grants

National beach guidance and required performance criteria for grants PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428905383
Category : Beaches
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Protecting and Restoring America's Great Waters: The Long Island Sound

Protecting and Restoring America's Great Waters: The Long Island Sound PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Estuarine area conservation
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Legislative Calendar

Legislative Calendar PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Great Lakes

Great Lakes PDF Author: United States Government Accountability Office
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781976387036
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Waterborne pathogens can contaminate water and sand at beaches and threaten human health. Under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed limits on pathogens that states use to assess beach water quality. EPA can also provide grants to states to develop water quality monitoring and public notification programs. GAO was asked to assess (1) the extent to which EPA implemented the BEACH Act including how it allocated grants to the states, (2) the monitoring and notification programs developed by Great Lakes states, and (3) the effect of the BEACH Act on water quality monitoring and contamination at Great Lakes beaches. EPA has taken steps to implement most of the provisions of the BEACH Act but has missed statutory deadlines for two critical requirements. While EPA has developed a national list of beaches and improved the uniformity of state water quality standards, it has not (1) completed the pathogen and human health studies required by 2003 or (2) published the new or revised water quality criteria for pathogens required by 2005. Moreover, the formula EPA has used to distribute approximately $51 million in BEACH Act grants from 2001-2006 does not accurately reflect the monitoring needs of the states. This is because the formula emphasizes the length of the beach season more than the other factors-beach miles and beach use. These other factors vary widely among the states, can greatly influence the amount of monitoring a state needs to undertake, and can increase the public health risk. All eight Great Lakes states have used BEACH Act grants to develop beach monitoring and public notification programs. However, because these programs vary among the states they may not provide consistent levels of public health protection within and across Great Lakes beaches. For example, GAO found that the states' monitoring and notification programs varied considerably in the frequency with which beaches were monitored, the monitoring methods used, and how the public was notified of potential health risks. For example, some states monitor their high-priority beaches as little as one or two times per week, while others monitor their high-priority beaches daily. In addition, when local officials review similar water quality results, some may choose to only issue a health advisory while others may choose to close the beach. According to state and local officials, these inconsistencies are in part due to the lack of adequate funding for their beach monitoring and notification programs. The frequency of water quality monitoring has increased at Great Lakes beaches since the passage of the BEACH Act, helping states and localities to identify the scope of contamination. However, in most cases, the underlying causes of contamination remain unknown and unaddressed. This is because some state and local officials reported that they do not have the funds to investigate the source of the contamination or take actions to mitigate the problem, and EPA has concluded that BEACH Act grants generally may not be used for these purposes. For example, local officials at 67 percent of Great Lakes beaches reported that, when results of water quality testing indicated contamination at levels exceeding the applicable standards during the 2006 beach season, they did not know the source of the contamination, and only 14 percent reported that they had taken actions to address the sources of contamination. State and local officials indicated that an overall improvement in water quality throughout the Great Lakes will require long-term collaborative efforts to address the underlying causes of contamination, as well as increased funding.

Protecting America's Estuaries: Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca

Protecting America's Estuaries: Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Estuaries
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Combined sewer overflows
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Quality Criteria for Water, 1986

Quality Criteria for Water, 1986 PDF Author: United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Water Regulations and Standards
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Water
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Section 304(a) (1) of the Clean Water Act 33 U.S.C. 1314(a) (1) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish and periodically update ambient water quality criteria. These criteria are to accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge (a) on the kind and extent of all identifiable effects on health and welfare including, but not limited to, plankton, fish shellfish, wildlife, plant life, shorelines, beaches, aesthetics, and recreation which may be expected from the presence of pollutants in any body of water including ground water; (b) on the concentration and dispersal of pollutants, or their byproducts, through biological, physical, and chemical processes; and (c) on the effects of pollutants on biological community diversity, productivity, and stability, including information on the factors affecting rates of eutrophication and organic and inorganic sedimentation for varying types of receiving waters. In a continuing effort to provide those who use EPA's water quality and human health criteria with up-to-date criteria values and associated information, the document was assembled. The document includes summaries of all the contaminants for which EPA has developed criteria recommendations.

Samoa American Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments

Samoa American Country Study Guide Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments PDF Author: IBP USA
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1438741871
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
Samoa (American) A Country Study Guide - Strategic Informtion and Developments