Maines ocean beaches are a major attraction for residents and visitors, and contribute greatly to the economy, especially during the summer tourist season. The beach experience is tarnished when swimming is restricted due to unhealthy bacteria levels in the water. Partners in the Maine Healthy Beaches Program monitor water at swimming beaches and notify the public when bacteria levels threaten human health. Participation in the Maine Healthy Beaches Program is voluntary, and jurisdiction for local beach management decisions stays at the local level. Maines program takes a community-based approach to identifying and cleaning up pollution sources to keep beaches clean and safe for swimming. Maine has thousands of miles of coastline and limited financial and human resources available for monitoring, so the Maine Healthy Beaches Program builds local capacity for pollution prevention. This unique partnership approach has helped to identify and fix sources of bacteria polluting beaches, reducing the number of beach advisories in some areas.