As Trump seeks to eliminate BEACH grants and cut funding to stop sewage overflows and runoff pollution, Reed seeks to keep clean water monitoring system afloat and restore clean water funding investments

WASHINGTON, DC – As more people head to coastal beaches, Great Lakes, and local waterways to enjoy the summer weather, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is leading federal efforts to help ensure America’s swimming beaches remain clean, safe, and welcoming to the public and protect human health, environmental health, and the economic health of coastal communities. 

Today, outside the U.S. Capitol, Senator Reed joined Environment America, NCAA athletes who train in open waters, public health advocates, and fellow members of Congress to discuss the importance of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act grant program to help monitor beach water quality nationwide. VIDEO AVAILABLE.

Federal BEACH grants support beach water-quality collection, testing, and monitoring and public notification efforts if bacteria levels become unsafe.

“The BEACH Act is a smart investment in protecting public health, economic health, and the health of our waterways.  It ensures people are informed when temporary beach closures are warranted and provides policymakers with the data needed to ensure sound management,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, which oversees federal BEACH Act funding.  Reed and his fellow appropriators helped make $9.7 million in BEACH grant funding for water quality monitoring at coastal and Great Lakes beaches in 2025 and he and several colleagues requested at least $15 million for BEACH grants in Fiscal Year 2026.  “Clean, safe beaches are an economic and environmental imperative.  I oppose President Trump’s attempt to eliminate BEACH grants and clean water infrastructure funds.  Fixing and updating water systems isn’t cheap or easy.  But it’s absolutely essential to public health, environmental health, and America’s economic well-being.”

“There’s nothing better than running into the water with your friends and family on a hot day in summer, but too often, our favorite beaches aren’t safe for swimming,” said Lisa Frank, executive director of Environment America, a non-profit that recently released its annual Safe for Swimming? report on the water quality of America’s beaches. “Keeping sewage pollution out of our waterways isn’t rocket science, but it’s clear more investment is needed to protect our health.”

“Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for our beaches. These natural wonders are invaluable sources of recreation and economic drivers for our communities, but pollution and contamination threaten to make them too dangerous for the public,” said U.S. Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH). “I urge Congress to swiftly pass the BEACH Act, which will ensure that our beaches and the surrounding waters remain safe for future generations.”

“As a Division-1 rower, being able to train on a waterway without fear of exposure to nasty bacteria is vital to my well-being,” said Jordan Stock, a student athlete at Stanford University. “I should not have to risk my health to practice the sport that I love. From competitive water athletes like myself, to the local businesses sustained by beach tourism and clean water, to casual swimmers, surfers and sailors, this issue affects everyone.” 

Common issues that make waterways unsafe include sewer overflows and runoff pollution.  Swimming in waters contaminated with elevated levels of enterococci bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which administers BEACH grants to coastal and Great Lake states based on a formula that includes the length of the recipients’ beach season, number of miles of shoreline, and population. Recipients must also have an EPA- approved water quality standards program.

Researchers estimate that people get sick 57 million times a year from swimming in polluted waters and Environment America released a new study showing nearly two-thirds of U.S. beaches (1,930 out of 3,187) experienced fecal contamination at some point last year, with roughly 1 in 7 beaches — 453 of those sampled — experiencing potentially unsafe fecal contamination on at least 25 percent of the days on which testing occurred.

Since Senator Reed helped launch the BEACH Act in 2001, over $225 million in BEACH grants have been awarded to test beach waters for illness-causing bacteria, identify the sources of pollution problems, and help notify the public.  This year’s continuing resolution appropriated nearly $10 million in BEACH Act funds, resulting in $210,000 for Rhode Island.  But now, the Trump Administration is trying to eliminate the program.

Nationwide, Gulf Coast beaches experienced the biggest share of unsafe water quality days in 2024 -- 84 percent of Gulf Coast beaches experienced at least one unsafe swimming day -- while just 10 percent of Alaska and Hawaii’s beaches had an unsafe day.

Rhode Island’s coastal beach-water quality monitoring program is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and works closely with the state’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM), cities, towns, and volunteer groups.