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Marcos Gomez

Mr. Parsons

AP Environmental Science 2

12 March 2019

The BEACH Act

The BEACH Act tackles pathogens and pathogen indicators in coastal recreation waters,

basically, the BEACH Act ensures that no virus, bacteria, or any other potentially harmful

substance plagues our beaches. There are four main furnishings of this act:

The first step to reform in environmental issues is the standardization or clarification of

the circumstances which are sought: “The BEACH Act amended the CWA by adding section

303(i), which requires states, territories, and tribes that have coastal recreation waters to adopt

new or revised water quality standards…” (EPA 2000). So, through this reform beaches would

raise their standards of water quality, thus improving their quality as well as our health.

Further, as reforms go, it must find methods of checking their effects, etc. which are

made as part of the reform itself: “require EPA to conduct studies associated with pathogens and

human health…” (EPA 2000). With this added detail, we will now be able to understand and

differentiate harmful and unharmful substances.

Further, although paying to maintain nature seems quite paradoxical it is a concern which

is also addressed in the act: “authorizes EPA to award grants to states, territories, tribes, or local

governments to develop and implement beach monitoring and assessment programs” (EPA
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2000). With these Grants states may be held responsible for implementing such reforms as

directed by the government itself.