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06-13-2003

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 5 months ago

June 13, 2003

ROMNEY TEAMS UP WITH EPA TO PROTECT MASS COASTLINE

Federal relief given to cash strapped coastal communities for beach testing

 

QUINCY – Governor Mitt Romney today took steps to protect state beaches, waters and coastline.

 

Joined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Todd Whitman, Romney announced that the Commonwealth will provide weekly beach water lab testing for 60 coastal communities free of charge this summer. Both initiatives will be funded through a $257,000 federal grant provided by the EPA to the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH).

 

Romney also unveiled a new Web site that will allow beachgoers to log on to the Internet to check if local beaches are safe for swimming.

 

“Summer is right around the corner, and so our thoughts naturally turn to the outdoors and, most especially for those of us in Massachusetts, long days spent at the beach and on the water,” said Romney.

 

“It’s also a reminder to all of us that we have a special obligation to our children and future generations to be active stewards in protecting our beaches, waters and coastline,” he added.

 

Romney said that more than $90,000 of the federal grant will be used to pay laboratories for water testing at local communities with marine beaches. The Public Health Department has already contracted for these services with testing laboratories in Barnstable, Chatham, Quincy, Martha’s Vineyard and New Bedford.

 

Additional dollars will be used to fund research efforts at the Bay State’s three flagship beaches: Wollaston Beach in Quincy, Ryder Beach in Provincetown and Willows Pier Beach in Salem. The flagship beaches are the most heavily visited in the state and have been known to have past problems with beach water pollution. The Public Health Department will work with environmental engineers and scientists to identify sources of pollution and recommend remedies.

 

The remaining portion of the grant will be used for technical and administrative support for the program, including a full-time beaches coordinator to work with communities on electronic reporting, maintain a data base of identified pollution sources and develop a quality assurance plan for the beach water lab testing.

 

“The Department of Public Health is committed to improving the health and safety of Massachusetts beaches,” said Public Health Commissioner Christy Ferguson. “We want beachgoers to feel confident before their families leave the sand for the water this summer.”

 

The new beach testing Web site – www.mass.gov/dph -- will enable beachgoers to determine if the beach they are traveling to is posted as open or closed to swimmers on any given day this summer. Beachgoers can also view the most recent water quality lab results online.

 

A report on marine and fresh water beach testing released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health found that fewer beaches, 19 percent, were closed for swimming in 2002, compared to 35 percent in 2001.

 

Wollaston Beach closed most often in 2002, followed by Carson Beach in South Boston, Constitution Beach in East Boston and City Point and Mingo Beach in Beverly. High bacteria levels and preemptive action in closing beaches – following big rainstorms – are the two primary reasons for such closures.

 

The Federal Beaches Act, approved in 2000, required all states to improve bathing water quality at coastal beaches. A Massachusetts state Beaches law was implemented in 2001. Regulations approved as part of that law require weekly testing of all public bathing beaches in the Commonwealth. Under these regulations, beaches must post warnings to swimmers when water testing reveals elevated levels of bacteria.

 

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