All 35 states and territories that qualify for the BEACH Act Grant program were awarded grants in FY 07. In FY 08, EPA awarded grants to all 35 coastal and Great Lakes states and territories, and eligible tribes that qualified for the BEACH Act Grant program. Program benefits from funding in FY 07 and 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.

Uses and Use Restrictions

These grants are intended to support the initial development and implementation of recreational water monitoring and notification programs or support enhancement of an existing program.

Grant funds can be used for operational support or implementation of recreational water monitoring and notification programs.

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.

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Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Coastal and Great Lakes States, territories (the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 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.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination with 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.

Application Procedures

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 Procedures

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

Deadlines

The deadline to submit a complete application is 45 days from the date of the program announcement in the Federal Register. Please contact the Headquarters Contact for more information.

Authorization

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

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

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 that are readily available and verifiable: (1) Beach season length, (2) beach miles, and (3) beach use. The grants allocation formula sums three parts. The first part is a base amount for all States and Territories that varies with the length of the beach season. The second part distributes 50 percent of the total remaining funds based on the ratio of shoreline miles in a State or territory to the total length of shoreline miles. The third part distributes the remaining 50 percent based on the ratio of coastal population in a State or territory to the total coastal population. This program has no matching 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.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Semi-annual or annual reports, as required by the specific terms of the Agreement.

Financial Status Reports must be submitted for each project at the end of each fiscal year.

Audits

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.

Financial Information

Account Identification

68-0103-0-1-304; STAG.

Obigations

FY 07 $10,573,400; FY 08 $9,746,000; and FY 09 est. $9,900,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

$150,000 to $528,200/fiscal year; $280,100/fiscal year.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature

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

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island)Matt Liebman, EPA 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, EPA 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) Nancy Grundahl, USEPA Region 3, 1650 Arch Street 3ES10, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029; Telephone: (215) 814-2729; Fax: (215) 814-2318; E-mail: grundahl.nancy@epa.gov; Region IV (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina) Joel Hansel, EPA 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, EPA 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, EPA 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 Soma, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, California, Guam, Hawaii) Terry Fleming, EPA 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, EPA 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 EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., (4305T), Washington DC 20460; Telephone: (202) 566-0405; Fax: (202) 566-0409; E-mail: healy.richard@epa.gov.

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.