The Beach Protection Act was formed in 2000 with the hopes to modify and improve coasts across the country. Prior to this act some states such as Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin didn’t have programs to monitor their beaches, and states that were involved with programs were extremely understaffed. This new and improved 2007 act introduced by Frank Pallone will be working much harder to keep beaches beautiful, but most importantly improve public health and safety.

Over the last few years, many of the goals of the 2000 act have not been reached. It was declared that each coastal state was entitled to $30 million dollars annually to support this program, but in reality, states have only been receiving about $10 million. The new Act is rallying for the annual funding to be raised to $60 million.

The Beach Protection Act of 2007 is also urging the Environmental Protection Agency to use more efficient water testing procedures. Right now it can take up to three days for proper results on water contamination, making it very difficult to diagnose beach closures in time for the public to take heed. New water testing methods take no longer than two hours for results. If even a few states were to adopt these methods, it would raise the national bar, forcing other coastal states to meet the standards.

“For six years the beach act has given beachgoers the peace of mind that the beaches they visit are clean,” Pallone said at a press release in May. “Today, we begin the process of strengthening this important law by requiring states to use expedited tests so beachgoers are notified about potential problems right away.”

On top of all that, the most important part of the new and improved beach act is that all extra funding will be used for the control and tracking of water pollution. This will make it easier to find the source of pollution and address it up front to prevent its continuation in the future.

California is rallying especially hard for this campaign to be put into effect because, not only do we share waters with Northern states, but the coast of Mexico as well. Advertisement headed up by the Surfrider Foundation states, “Our coastal communities can only benefit.”

Want to know what you can do to help? Get online and visit the Surfrider Foundation webpage. There, they have a pre-written letter that you can send to your Congressman and petition for a cleaner and safer tomorrow for our beaches.