1 Water Quality Standards Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act – October 10, 2000

2 Authorizes grants to states to develop and implement monitoring and notification programs at coastal beaches. Since 2001, $7.8 million in BEACH Act grants have been issued to Great Lakes states. The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000 amends the Clean Water Act to protect public health at beaches.

3 States are using BEACH grant funds to:  Increase beach water quality monitoring  Develop websites  Establish telephone hotlines  Design beach closure signs  Distribute beach health brochures  Hold beach workshops  GPS beaches for locational data  Create data reporting systems  Install predictive models

4 Key provision of BEACH Act: states with coastal waters must adopt bacteriological criteria as protective as EPA’s recommended criteriaKey provision of BEACH Act: states with coastal waters must adopt bacteriological criteria as protective as EPA’s recommended criteria The BEACH Act requires that states adopt water quality criteria as protective of human health as the criteria published by EPA under Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act at their coastal waters.

5 EPA’s recommended water quality criteria for bacteria:  Freshwater (E. coli) Freshwater (enterococci) Geometric mean (per 100 mL) Single sample maximum (per 100 mL) Designated bathing beach Moderate use coastal recreation waters Light use coastal recreation waters Infrequent use coastal recreation waters Geometri c mean (per 100 mL) Single sample maximum (per 100 mL) Designated bathing beach Moderate use coastal recreation waters Light use coastal recreation waters Infrequent use coastal recreation waters

6 Water Quality Standards for Coastal and Great Lakes Recreation Waters – Final Rule l On November 16, 2004, EPA published Federal health-based water quality criteria for 21 states and territories bordering coastal waters that have not adopted criteria required by the BEACH Act.

7 BEACH Act requires that EPA study issues associated with pathogens and human health and publish new or revised Section 304(a) criteria by October, 2005 Studies conducted as part of the EPA/CDC National Epidemiological Environmental Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study - Lake Michigan: West Beach (IN), Washington Park (IN), Silver Beach (MI) - Lake Erie: Huntington Beach (OH)

8 NEEAR Water Study  The NEEAR Water Study combines health data and water quality analyses.  Health information is collected on swimming-related illnesses through interviewer- conducted surveys.

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10 Rapid Test Methods  Method 1600, the EPA-approved membrane filter method using mEI Agar for the detection of enterococci in recreational water. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Method, a new rapid gene probe method used to detect enterococci & Bacteriodes in water samples. RAPTOR Fiberoptic Biosensor, a portable, automated fiberoptic biosensor that can be used to detect microbiological and chemical analytes in water samples. Luminex 100 System, a compact flow cytometer that analyzes immunoassays, complex genetic analyses, and/or enzymatic assays through the use of optics, fluidics, and advanced signal processing.

Beach Program Budget approved Will the BEACH Act be reauthorized? 2006 beach program budget has been approved.

12 Wisconsin’s Beach Program -BEACH grants provided to WDNR to develop beach programs along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. - Prior to the BEACH Act there was no consistently implemented beach monitoring program in Wisconsin.

13 Wisconsin’s Beach Program  WDNR has received $907,196 in beach grant funds.  13 out of 15 coastal counties participate in program  192 beaches have been identified along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.  Information on impacts from stormwater, waterfowl, location of outfalls and farms.

14 BEACH Act Water Quality Standards - 37 High priority beaches monitored 4 times per week Medium priority beaches monitored 3 times per week Low priority beaches monitored a minimum of once a week. Wisconsin’s Beach Program

15 Wisconsin’s Beach Program  WI’s public notification program includes –Beach Health website –telephone hotline –beach health brochures –multi-lingual advisory signs  Partnerships formed with WDNR, Department of Tourism, USGS, state and local health departments, and citizen groups.

16 destination Phytoremediation Project North Beach, Racine, Wisconsin

17 Stormwater is rerouted from the outfall (X) to infiltration beds upland of the beach using native indigenous wetland plants to filter the flow. X

18 Michigan’s Beach Program -There are 322 beaches along Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron. - Since 2002, MDEQ has received $1,084,966 in BEACH Act grant funds. - In 1998, only 20 counties monitored their beaches. - In 2004, 192 coastal beaches in 38 counties are monitored.

19 Michigan’s Beach Program A MDEQ’s beach health website: _3686_ C1,00.html _3686_ C1,00.html -Beach data reporting database -Beach health workshops

20 Indiana’s Beach Program Since 2001, IDEM has received $823,753 in beach grants. IDEM has increased monitoring its coastal beaches from once a week to 5 times/week. IDEM has improved its public notification program.

21 Indiana’s Beach Program Project SAFE (Swim Advisory Forecast Estimate)

22 BEACH Grant Activities in Illinois  Illinois has received $983,348 in beach grants since  Most of IL’s Lake Michigan beaches are monitored 7 days a week.  Beach grants pay for beach management activities: –Gull harassment –Educational campaign to reduce pollution –Pet waste program  Intallation of “Do Not Feed the Waterfowl” signs

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24 SWIMCast predictive models at: Illinois Beach State Park – South Beach in Zion, IL Forest Park Beach in Lake Forest, IL BEACH Act Water Quality Standards SWIMCast measures: - Wind speed and direction -Sunlight -Rainfall -Air and Water Temperature -Humidity -Wave Height -Dissolved Solids -Clarity -Acidity

25 Great Lakes Beach Association Conference Green Bay, Wisconsin November 2-3, 2005  Forecasting models (Project Safe, SwimCast)  Bacterial source identification  Rapid test methods  EPA/CDC NEEAR Waters Study  State beach program updates  Great Lakes Regional Collaboration’s Coastal Health Strategy  The impact of stormwater runoff on E. coli levels at Lake Michigan beaches  Health implications of beach sand bacteria  Sources of E. coli at beaches along the shorelines of Georgian Bay, Ontario

26 Holly Wirick U.S. EPA Region 5 Beach Program Coordinator (312)