Texas Secures $382K Grant To Boost Beach Water Quality Monitoring
The EPA grant will support the state's Texas Beach Watch program through the 2025 swimming season. The funding comes as millions of Texans prepare for summer beach trips along the Gulf Coast. Rising concerns about water quality have made bacterial monitoring increasingly critical for public health officials.
'The GLO is proud to monitor the water quality up and down our beautiful Texas coast for the well-being of beachgoers, our shoreline communities, and the marine life across various beach habitats,' said Buckingham. 'As someone who lived on the coast for over a decade, I want to thank President Trump's EPA for the issuance of this grant that will assist the Texas Beach Watch program in keeping Texans informed as they visit our beaches this summer.'
The program tests specifically for Enterococcus bacteria, which naturally occurs in warm-blooded animals. While normal in coastal ecosystems, elevated levels can signal potential health risks.
Heavy rainfall and stormwater runoff often drive bacterial spikes. When levels exceed safety thresholds, the GLO issues water quality advisories to warn swimmers.
Still, the actual risk remains relatively low. Last year, only 797 of 8,237 samples triggered advisories—roughly 9% of all tests conducted.
The GLO does not close beaches during advisories. That decision rests with local authorities who weigh multiple factors beyond bacterial counts.
The grant stems from the federal BEACH Act, which mandates coastal water quality monitoring nationwide. EPA officials framed the funding as part of their 'Powering the Great American Comeback' initiative.
That said, bacterial monitoring represents just one piece of coastal management. The GLO simultaneously oversees beach nourishment projects and hurricane recovery efforts across the Texas coast.
Buckingham, who became Texas's first female Land Commissioner in 2022, has prioritized coastal issues. Her agency recently completed what officials describe as the state's largest beach nourishment project.
The Texas Beach Watch program encourages visitors to help maintain water quality. Officials specifically request proper pet waste disposal and trash management at beach sites.
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'The standards that are now being ignored by these exemptions were carefully considered,' Robo said. 'And with this arbitrary designation, they are being allowed to pollute in these communities with very little notice.' Robo said at least 10 more sterilization plants in California are governed by the ethylene oxide standards, and it's likely that they have also applied for an exemption. They are located in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, Sacramento and Marin counties. Thinking nationally, this is just one of eight rules for which the EPA has recently offered exemptions via email. The others include rules governing mercury and air toxics; polymers and resins; rubber tires; copper smelting; and coal power, among others. 'These are things that cause cancer, cause developmental delays in children and babies,' Robo said. 'These are many of the most toxic pollutants.' The EPA's exemption template asked applicants to explain why they can't currently meet the emissions reduction goals and why an extension is in the national security interests of the country. The EPA said an email alone doesn't guarantee an exemption but that the president 'will make a decision on the merits.' The two-year exemptions can potentially be renewed, the agency said. While California so far has been granted fewer exemptions than some other states, it also has consistently ranked as one of the worst states for air quality in the nation, said Barrett of the American Lung Assn. The group's most recent annual 'State of the Air' report ranked San Bernardino as the nation's most polluted county for ozone and particle pollution, while Los Angeles has been ranked the nation's smoggiest city 25 of the last 26 years. 'For the millions and millions of people — and hundreds of thousands of children — living with asthma and other respiratory illnesses that people are dealing with on a daily basis, any erosion of the clean air protections under the Clean Air Act is a real step backward and a rejection of decades of peer-reviewed scientific literature about the harms of air pollution,' Barrett said.
