HYANNIS — Coming together at the boundary of water and land, with the waters of Nantucket Sound lapping at the tawny sands of Kalmus Beach, local and state officials on Aug. 31 accepted a gift for Cape Cod's beaches.

It was an appropriate setting for the presentation: A Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will fund water quality monitoring and public notification efforts — mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health — through the end of the year and into the 2023 beach season.

The $255,000 for beach monitoring across the state, which was presented by U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, will fund the weekly to monthly monitoring of 230 Cape Cod bathing beaches, from Bourne to Provincetown.

"The beaches of Cape Cod are the crown jewels of our local tourism economy, and I am grateful to the Biden Administration and the EPA for their investment in water quality monitoring at beaches in southeastern Massachusetts and throughout the commonwealth," said Keating.

The state's 565 public marine beaches attract millions of visitors every year, and it is expected that they are dipping themselves in "clean, safe water" when they go, he said. 

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"This funding ensures that the commonwealth and our communities can continue monitoring water quality and mitigating issues before they pose a risk to human health," he said.

That's particularly important, he added, because it offers both residents and visitors confidence in the health of the Cape's beaches and, in turn, is a plus for "the small business owners who depend on summer beach traffic to survive."

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells said on Cape Cod the bathing beach water quality monitoring is a regional effort "that requires collaboration between the state, county, and local town health agents" — just one of many efforts Cape officials undertake to provide clean water for residents and seasonal visitors.

"This grant funding is critically important for the continuation of these monitoring programs that inform the public of safe swimming areas,” he said. 

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Under the BEACH Act, EPA awards grants to eligible state, territorial and tribal applicants to help them and their local government partners monitor water quality at coastal and Great Lakes beaches, according to the EPA. When bacteria levels are too high for safe swimming, the public is notified by posting beach warnings or closing the beach.

Keating indicated that the funding, which has been given annually for at least 20 years, is important because the testing is required by Massachusetts law. If the state had not received those federal funds to distribute through the Department of Public Health, the responsibility to pay for the testing would fall on municipalities.

EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash recognized that "clean and healthy beaches are critical to supporting local economies and ecosystems" — something particularly paramount in Massachusetts with its more than 1,500 miles of coastline.

 "This federal funding will be used to better monitor our coastline for pollution and other public health threats, so those who call Massachusetts home — and those who visit — can continue to enjoy our beaches and ocean for generations to come," Cash said.

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Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke said, through the BEACH funding, the state DPH has conducted monitoring at public marine beaches in more than 60 communities.

“Each year, the program collects more than 8,400 water quality samples from over 580 locations," she said. "This renewed commitment from EPA will support a dedicated team of local, state, and tribal partners who work tirelessly to ensure that all of us can safely enjoy a day at our treasured public beaches.”

Since 2002, according to the EPA, New England recipients have used $23 million in BEACH Act funding to monitor beaches for fecal indicator bacteria, as well as to maintain and operate public notification systems, identify local pollution sources, and report results of monitoring and notification activities to the federal agency.

Barnstable County maintains a list of beaches tested on the Cape, which can be found at https://www.capecod.gov/departments/health-environment/programs-services/water-and-wastewater/beach-sample-results/

In addition to the Aug. 31 BEACH Act grant award, the Baker-Polito Administration on Aug. 2 announced $2,089,802 in Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

The money will "support efforts to address polluted stormwater runoff to further protect coastal water quality and habitat, as well as to develop comprehensive coastal habitat restoration plans."

Cape towns receiving those grants include Barnstable and Yarmouth. The Association to Preserve Cape Cod also received a grant.

Barnstable's $27,000 grant will be used to complete final designs to replace an undersized culvert currently restricting tidal flow and impacting water quality in the Snows Creek estuary, according to the CZM. The project complements other water quality improvement efforts by the town and will restore tidal flow to the upstream salt pond, improving the habitat for fish, birds and shellfish.

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Yarmouth will use its $82,257 grant to complete a comprehensive stormwater assessment to identify and prioritize sites for remediation in partnership with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. This project "builds on efforts to improve coastal water quality by the town with a goal to reduce beach closures and improve fish habitat," according to the CZM.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod will use its $95,015 "to help prevent runoff pollution at three public boat ramps," the CZM said in an Aug. 2 statement about the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants.

The organization, the CZM said, "will design green stormwater infrastructure to treat and remove contaminants that are impacting local waterbodies. The work will be conducted in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Office of Fishing and Boating Access, the Horsley Witten Group and the towns of Bourne, Brewster, Dennis, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans and Yarmouth. This project builds on previous work to improve water quality across Cape Cod by reducing stormwater pollution at priority locations."

Contact Heather McCarron at hmccarron@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter: HMcCarron_CCT