The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000 authorizes EPA to provide grants to coastal and Great Lakes states, territories, and eligible tribes to monitor their coastal beaches for bacteria that indicate the possible presence of disease-causing pathogens, and to notify the public when there is a potential risk to public health. The BEACH Act requires that recipients of those grants report their coastal beach monitoring and notification data to EPA, and that EPA maintain an electronic database of that data, accessible to the public, so that they can make informed choices about where to swim. To further our commitment to reducing the risk of exposure to disease-causing pathogens at recreational beaches, EPA is posting the latest data about beach closings and advisories for the 2008 swimming season. This fact sheet also highlights recent developments in EPAs Beach Program.