Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants (66.472)

Program

66.472 Beach Monitoring and Notification Program Implementation Grants

Federal Agency

Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Office: Office of Water

Authorization

Clean Water Act, Section 406; Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, Public Law 106-284.

Program Number

66.472

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To assist Coastal and Great Lakes States and Tribes eligible under Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act, as amended, in developing and implementing programs for monitoring and notification for coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2009: EPA's funding priority is to award grants to those applicants whose proposals clearly demonstrate a State's, Tribe's, or local government's ability to monitor recreational waters; notify the public of risks; manage programs; and communicate among environmental and public health agencies and the public.

Types of Assistance

FORMULA GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

These grants are intended to support the development and implementation of recreational water monitoring and notification programs or support enhancement of an existing program. EPA encourages grantees to use implementation grant funds to test various approaches for meeting BEACH Act program requirements. For development grants, programs must clearly demonstrate an increase in a State's, Tribe's, or local government's ability to monitor recreational waters and notify the public of risks; manage programs; and communicate among environmental and public health agencies and the public. To be eligible for implementation grants, programs must also demonstrate that they meet the program performance criteria listed in the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (EPA-823-B-02-004. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: http://geodata.epa.gov.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Coastal and Great Lakes States, territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), and Tribes eligible under Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act, as amended. The Administrator may make a grant to a local government under this subsection for implementation of a monitoring and notification program only if, after the one-year period beginning on the date of publication of performance criteria under Section 406 (a)(1), the Administrator determines that the State is not implementing a program that meets the requirements of Section 406(a)(1), regardless of whether the State has received a grant under Section 406(a)(1). Interstate agencies and intertribal consortia are not eligible for Beach grants.

Beneficiary Eligibility

States, U.S. territories, Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, environmental and public health agencies, and local governments involved in implementing monitoring and notification programs.

Credentials/Documentation

Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State, Tribal, and local governments. Recipients must show compliance with 40 CFR Part 31. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination with the appropriate EPA Regional Office is encouraged. The standard application forms, as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102, must be used for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Requests for application forms should be made to the appropriate EPA Regional Grants Management Office identified in Appendix IV of the Catalog. Completed applications should be sent to the appropriate Regional or Headquarters Contact. All proposals or work statements should be developed in response to the criteria identified in CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS. Applicants may be able to use http://www.grants.gov to electronically apply for certain grant opportunities under this CFDA.

Award Procedure

Grant applications are reviewed by the appropriate EPA Regional Office, and if approved, are awarded by the Regional Administrator.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Grants are usually approved within five months of receipt of complete application.

Appeals

Disputes will be resolved under 40 CFR 30.63 or 40 CFR 31.70, as applicable.

Renewals

Renewals are subject to approval by the appropriate EPA Regional or Headquarters Contact. Please contact the appropriate EPA Regional or Headquarters Contact for guidance.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory Formula: Title Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000. EPA awards grants to all eligible States and territories who apply for funding based on an allocation formula that the Agency developed for allocating BEACH Act grant funds in 2002. The allocation formula uses three factors: (1) beach season length, (2) beach miles, and (3) beach use. This program has no matching requirements.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Beach grants are normally funded on a 12-month basis (yearly). However, EPA may negotiate the project period, grant continuations, and grant amendments with each applicant based on project requirements. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Other. The method of fund disbursement will be determined at the time of award.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Recipients must submit annual performance reports and financial reports as required in 40 CFR 31.40 and 31.41. The annual performance report explains changes to the beach monitoring and notification program during the grant year. It also describes how the grant funds were used to implement the program to meet the performance criteria listed in National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (EPA� 823�B�02�004). The annual performance report required under 40 CFR 31.40 is due no later than 90 days after the grant year ends. Recipients must also submit annual monitoring and notification reports required by the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (EPA� 823�B�02�004). Sections 2.2.3 and 4.3 of the document contain the performance criterion requiring an annual monitoring report, and sections 2.2.8 and 5.4 contain the performance criterion requiring an annual notification report. This document can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ waterscience/beaches/grants/. These reports, required to be submitted to EPA under CWA section 406(b)(3)(A) and the National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants, include data collected as part of a monitoring and notification program. As a condition of award of an implementation grant, EPA requires that the monitoring report and the notification report for any beach season be submitted not later than January 31 of the year following the beach season. Program reports are required under this program. Cash reports are required under this program. Progress reports are required under this program. Expenditure reports are required under this program. Performance monitoring is required under this program.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," non-federal entities that expend $500,000 or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-federal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in OMB Circular No. A-133.

Records

Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records and to substantiate charges to each grant, must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA grant accounts. All records must be maintained for 3 years from the date of submission of the annual financial status report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: In FY 08, EPA awarded grants to all 35 coastal and Great Lakes States and territories and two eligible Tribes that qualified for the BEACH Act Grant program. Program benefits from funding in FY 08 include: development and implementation of recreational water quality monitoring protocol (sampling design, indicator organism); decreasing swimmer exposure by improving communication outreach and education to public on swimming advisories; establishing more efficient and timely management decision process for posting swimming advisories; and constructing databases to provide government and public access to data and information. Fiscal Year 2009: In FY 09, grants will continue to support the development and implementation of recreational water quality monitoring and notification programs or support enhancement of an existing program. Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

68-0103-0-1-304.

Obligations

(Formula Grants) FY 08 $10,642,200; FY 09 est $9,900,000; FY 10 est $9,900,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

States and territories: $150,000 to $528,000/fiscal year; $280,000/fiscal year. In FY 09, EPA made $100,000 available to eligible Tribes. In FY 09, there are two eligible Tribes.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments (40 CFR Part 31).

Related Programs

Not Applicable.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island) Matt Liebman, USEPA Region 1, One Congress St. Ste. 1110 � CWQ, Boston, MA 02114-2023; Telephone: (617) 918-1626; FAX: (617) 918-1505; e-mail: liebman.matt@epa.gov

Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) Helen Grebe, USEPA Region 2, 2890 Woodbridge Ave. MS220, Edison, NJ 08837-3679; Telephone: (732) 321-6797; FAX: (732) 321-6616; e-mail: grebe.helen@epa.gov

Region III (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia) Denise Hakowski, USEPA Region 3, 1650 Arch Street 3WP30, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029; Telephone: (215) 814-5726; FAX: (215) 814-2318; e-mail: hakowski.denise@epa.gov

Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina) Joel Hansel, USEPA Region 4, 61 Forsyth St. 15th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303-3415; Telephone: (404) 562-9274; FAX: (404) 562-9224; e-mail: hansel.joel@epa.gov

Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin);Holly Wirick, USEPA Region 5, 77 West Jackson Blvd. WT-16J, Chicago, IL 60604-3507; Telephone: (312) 353-6704; FAX: (312) 886-0168; e-mail: wirick.holiday@epa.gov

Region VI (Louisiana, Texas) Mike Schaub, USEPA Region 6, 1445 Ross Ave. 6WQ-EW, Dallas, TX 75202-2733; Telephone: (214) 665-7314; FAX: (214) 665-6689; e-mail:schaub.mike@epa.gov

Region IX (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, California,Guam, Hawaii) Terry Fleming, USEPA Region 9, 75 Hawthorne St. WTR-2, San Francisco, CA 94105; Telephone: (415) 744-1939; FAX: (415) 744-1078; e-mail: fleming.terrence@epa.gov

Region X (Alaska, Oregon, Washington) Rob Pedersen, USEPA Region 10, 120 Sixth Ave. OW-134, Seattle, WA 98101; Telephone: (206) 553-1646; FAX: (206) 553-0165; e-mail: pedersen.rob@epa.gov.

Headquarters Office

Richard Healy USEPA
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, (4305T), Washington, District of Columbia 20460 Email: healy.richard@epa.gov Phone: (202) 566-0405

Web Site Address

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Development and implementation of beach monitoring programs; development of databases and websites; purchase of lab equipment for water quality monitoring; construction and posting of signs on beaches; and purchase of vehicles for monitoring. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

To be eligible for program implementation grants, applicants must meet program performance criteria outlined in National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants (EPA-823-B-02-004). The performance criteria set forth implementation grant requirements for monitoring and assessing recreation waters and promptly notifying the public of exceedances of water quality for pathogens. As a condition of receipt of a program Implementation Grant under Section 406(b) of the Clean Water Act, a State or local government program for monitoring and notification under this section shall identify: (1) lists of coastal recreation waters in the State, including coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public; (2) in the case of a State program for monitoring and notification, the process by which the State may delegate to local governments responsibility for implementing the monitoring and notification program; (3) the frequency and location of monitoring and assessment of coastal recreation waters based on: (a) the periods of recreational use of the waters; (b) the nature and extent of use during certain periods; (c) the proximity of the waters to known point sources and nonpoint sources of pollution; and (d) any effect of storm events on the waters; (4)(a) the methods to be used for detecting levels of pathogens and pathogen indicators that are harmful to human health; and (b) the assessment procedures for identifying short-term increases in pathogens and pathogen indicators that are harmful to human health in coastal recreation waters (including increases in relation to storm events); (5) measures for prompt communication of the occurrence, nature, location, pollutants involved, and extent of any exceeding of, or likelihood of exceeding, applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators to: (a) the Administrator, in such form as the Administrator determines to be appropriate; and (b) a designated official of a local government having jurisdiction over land adjoining the coastal recreation waters for which the failure to meet applicable standards is identified; (6) measures for the posting of signs at beaches or similar points of access, or functionally equivalent communication measures that are sufficient to give notice to the public that the coastal recreation waters are not meeting or are not expected to meet applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators; and (7) measures that inform the public of the potential risks associated with water contact activities in the coastal recreation waters that do not meet applicable water quality standards.