S. 508 · 119th Congress

BEACH Act of 2025

Stage
In committee
Sponsor
Ron Wyden
Introduced
2025-02-11
Latest action
2025-02-11 · Introduced in Senate

Summary

Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2025 or the BEACH Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and expands an existing program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that awards grants to states and local governments to (1) monitor the water quality of coastal recreational waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public; and (2) notify the public, local governments, and the EPA when the water is not safe for recreational activities.

Specifically, the bill expands the program to allow the EPA to award grants for identifying sources of contamination (i.e., pathogens) for coastal recreation waters. It also allows grants to be used for monitoring and notification of contamination in (1) shallow waters upstream from recreational waters, and (2) recreational waters on beaches.