The goal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure and Health (BEACH) Program is to work in partnership with states, tribes, territories, local governments, and the public to significantly reduce the risk of disease to users of the nation's recreational waters. This is accomplished through improvements in recreational water programs, communication, and scientific advances. BEACH grants are awarded to eligible coastal and Great Lakes states, territories, and tribes to develop and implement beach monitoring and notification programs. On April 20, 2004, EPA announced the Administration's Clean Beaches strategy. The strategy includes the Clean Beaches Plan. By carrying the Clean Beaches Plan, EPA is helping state, tribal, and local beach managers strengthen their programs. A strategy for reducing the risks of infection to people who use the nation's recreational waters, the plan recognizes that beach managers need tools that allow for local and regional differences in pollution sources and climate. The Clean Beaches Plan describes what EPA plans to do over the next couple of years to achieve two major goals: promote recreational water quality programs nationwide and create scientific improvements that support timely recreational water monitoring and reporting.

"March 2005" "EPA-823-R-05-001"

Welcome and plenary speakers -- San Diego welcome / Donna Frye -- EPA welcome / Wayne Nastri -- Beach Act actions: 2000-2004 and beyond / Denise Keehner -- Waterborne pathogens and indicators: a pathway forward / Joan Rose -- State and local experiences in implementing beach monitoring & notification programs -- Hawaii watershed initiative and clean beaches / Carl Berg -- Florida's health beaches monitoring program / Bart Bibler -- Surf and turf: developing partnerships for Maine's beaches / Esperanza Stancioff -- Incorporating the bacterial indicator enterococci in marine beach water quality monitoring program / Clay Clifton -- Washington state's Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication and Health (BEACH) program / Lynn Schneider -- Design of beach monitoring programs -- EPA overview: current national requirements, guidance and hot issues / Matthew Liebman -- Public health protection at marine beaches: a model program for water quality monitoring and public notification / Mark Gold, D.Env -- Comparison and verification of bacterial water quality indicator measurement methods and using ambient coastal water samples / John Griffith -- Composite sampling as an alternative technique for the determination of bacterial indicators in recreational waters / Julie Kinzelman -- How often and whre to monitor: outcome of the EMPACT study / Larry Wymer -- The public notice decision process and public perception -- Source unknown: questionable geometric mean exceedances at two pristine North Carolina Beaches . J.D. Potts -- Misinformation in beach warning systems / Stanley Grant -- The cost of beach water monitoring errors in southern California -- Linwood Pendleton -- Communication: increasing public awareness about beaches / Harry Simmons -- City of Encinitas perspective on beach postings / Katherine Weldon.