Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants

BEACH Act Program
CFDA 66.472 Active Grant
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Program Funding

Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.

Latest annual funding (estimated)
$905K FY2026
$7.2M
FY24
$7.7M
FY25
$905K
FY26*
* estimated

Funded Projects

Examples of what this program has supported.

FY2025 Grants continue to support the development, implementation, and enhancement of water quality monitoring and public notification programs for coastal recreational waters. All coastal and Great Lakes states and territories have beach monitoring and notification programs, and public awareness of beach water quality has increased. In FY25, a new tribal recipient continues to establish a beach program. There are currently 4,373 beaches that have a program to notify the public if it's safe to swim, and 3,416 beaches that monitor water quality.

Program Objective

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 recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public. EPA's funding priority is to award grants to (1) applicants whose proposals clearly demonstrate a state's, tribe's, territory's, or local government's ability to monitor coastal and Great Lakes recreational waters; notify the public of risks; manage programs; and communicate among environmental and public health agencies and the public and (2) applicants eligible to develop a program to do these actions.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • U.S. State Government
  • U.S. Territory Government
  • Federally Recognized Tribal Government
  • Tribal Government (other)
  • Municipality/Township Government
  • County Government
  • Local Government Consortium
  • Other

How to Apply

Application Procedure

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

Award Procedure

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

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

Program details & compliance

Description

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.

Mission Categories

Primary: Water Pollution Control

Use of Funds

Allowed Uses

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).

Required Documentation

See the criteria in EPA's National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants, 2014 edition, found at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-12/documents/national-beach-guidance-2014-report.pdf.

Matching Requirements

EPA awards BEACH Act grants to all eligible states, territories, and tribes who apply for funding based on an allocation formula that the Agency developed in 2002 with a supplemental allocation formula published in 2010. The allocation formula uses three factors: (1) beach season length, (2) beach miles, and (3) beach use.

Reporting & Compliance

Audit Required
Yes — Determined at Time of Award
Records Retention
3 years

Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts

  • Subpart B — General Provisions
  • Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart E — Cost Principles
  • Subpart F — Audit Requirements

Formula

This program does not have a statutory formula. However, EPA allocates funds based on formulas contained in regulations or program guidance. /EPA awards BEACH Act grants to all eligible states, territories, and tribes who apply for funding based on an allocation formula that the Agency developed in 2002 with a supplemental allocation formula published in 2010. The allocation formula uses three factors: (1) beach season length, (2) beach miles, and (3) beach use.

Contacts

Andrea Contreras Balbuena
202-566-1017
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Standards and Health Protection Division, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (Mail Code: 4305T ), Washington, DC 20460
Data from SAM.gov Federal Assistance Listings. Source published: 2026-02-25. Spec v2.0. Last synced: 2026-05-28 07:26:00.