Reed secures over $200K for summer beach water quality monitoring

WASHINGTON (WLNE) — Sen. Jack Reed announced Thursday a $228,000 federal grant to support beach water-quality monitoring and public notification efforts in Rhode Island.

Reed secured over $10.6 million in Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act grant funding to help monitor beaches nationwide earlier this year.

“Clean, safe beaches are essential to our economy and public health, and water-quality monitoring is crucial to keeping beaches clean and accessible,” Reed said. “These federal funds will help Rhode Island actively monitor our water quality to ensure it is safe and clean and keep the public informed.”

Over the last decade, Reed has delivered more than $2.2 million in BEACH grant funding for Rhode Island, according to his office.

“Testing water quality, collecting data, and publicly releasing the results keeps the government accountable for maintaining good water quality,” Reed added. “The sampling program ensures people are informed when temporary beach closures are warranted, and it’s a smart investment in protecting public health and the health of our waterways.”