The U.S. Virgin Islands has been awarded a small slice of $9.7 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday to monitor levels of illness-causing bacteria at swimming beaches.
The territory would be eligible to receive $126,000 once legal and administrative requirements were satisfied, EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci said in a media release. Puerto Rico would be eligible to receive $321,000.
To access the funds, the territory must have a water quality standards program in place approved by the EPA. Additionally, eligible entities must meet 11 performance criteria for implementing monitoring, assessment, and notification components of the beach program. Each grantee receives an amount based on the length of the beach season, the number of miles of shoreline and the populations of coastal counties, according to the EPA.
This funding is authorized by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act to ensure that every American has access to clean and safe water.
Also on Friday, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources released its most recent weekly Water Quality Monitoring Program results. The program assesses water quality at popular swimming beaches throughout the territory by sampling for enterococci bacteria and turbidity, a measure of water clarity.
Which beaches DPNR tests changes weekly.
DPNR performed water quality analyses at 14 designated beaches in St. Croix during the week of May 26–May 30, finding Buccaneer Beach, Ha’Penny Beach, Sprat Hall, Cane Bay, New Fort, Louisa Augusta, Stony Ground, Chenay Bay, Pelican Cove (Comorant), Cramers Park, Protestant Cay, Dorsch Beach, Rainbow Beach, the Frederiksted Public Beach, and Shoy’s Beach all met water quality standards and were considered safe for swimming and fishing.
DPNR did not test Princess Condo Row, Grapetree Bay Beach, or Columbus Landing.
In April, Chenay Bay was found to have elevated enterococci bacteria levels and deemed unsafe for swimming.
