As we are waiting for the rain to break here on the East Coast so we can get out to the beach, the Senate is taking a close look at how to make our beaches safer for swimming. Today the Senate Committee for Environment and Public Works reported out S. 878, the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009. Introduced in the Senate in April by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and George Voinovich (R-OH), S. 878 would be a great step in the right direction toward ensuring safe beaches on our ocean and Great Lakes coasts. Earlier this month, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives reviewed and reported out H.R. 2093, a similar bill for a full vote in the House. Now the Senate follows suit with an even stronger bill than the House version due to the leadership of Senators Lautenberg and Voinovich and the support of Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on the Committee. 

Coastal beaches are tested regularly for pollutants, but the results from these tests take more than 24 hours to determine whether a beach is unsafe for swimming - which doesn't offer much help to beachgoers who want to know if the water is clean before they get in, not after. S. 878, however, directs the EPA to approve a 4-hour rapid test method to monitor beachwater pollution and get same-day results. There are several rapid tests already in use at a number of U.S. beaches that provide results in 2-3 hours, so a 4-hour minimum should be easily achieved. S. 878 also seeks to speed up the requirements for notifying beachgoers immediately after a contamination is found. Currently, some beaches take a second test before confirming beachwater contamination, which means you may be swimming in polluted water for several days before a warning sign is displayed telling you that the beach is unsafe. S. 878 would change that as well by requiring same-day notification of contamination problems for beachgoers, which NRDC has been supporting for many years, in its Testing the Waters report and in litigation.

S. 878 also reauthorizes and increases funding for beachwater monitoring and notification. Some states rely solely on these grant funds for their beachwater monitoring, so this increase is important to support more regular testing at a greater number of beaches. S. 878 also funds programs to track sources of beachwater pollution and clean them up. This is a crucial next step to achieving the real goal, which is to have beaches that are safe for swimming, not just a warning when they are not safe.

Approval of this bill today by the Senate Committee for Environment and Public Works continues the momentum of this issue in Congress. With the first official day of summer upon us this weekend and beach visits on the rise, Congress should pass this legislation right away so that we can all have peace of mind when we dive into the waves.

Also today, the Senate Committee passed out three other important water bills, the Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act, S. 937, which was also introduced by Senator Lautenberg along with Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ),  Sheldon Whitehouse (R-RI), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). NRDC has been involved since this bill was first conceived as a response to the Bush administration's failure to promulgate regulations to address sewer overflows despite consensus recommendations of a federal advisory committee on which NRDC served. The legislation will ensure that the public and public health authorities are warned when sewer overflows occur, but we still need to address the root causes, including antiquated and decaying infrastructure. Passage of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund reauthorization, S. 1005, which Sen. Cardin introduced, and which also awaits floor action in the Senate, will be a great next step in directing funds to critical infrastructure improvements. And, finally, the Senate Committee reported the Clean Water Restoration Act, S. 787, which will restore the historic scope of the Clean Water Act, and on which my colleague, Jon Devine, has blogged many times. Check out his blog.

Look for NRDC's 19th annual beachwater quality report, Testing the Waters, later this summer!