Clean water and safe beaches are on tap for New Jersey through three grants totaling $16,697,817 million awarded recently to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The performance partnership, water quality planning and beach monitoring and notification grants will support state programs to ensure clean drinking water, continue overall planning and monitor beaches and coastal areas for safety, the EPA said in a release.
“EPA is providing funds directly to New Jersey so that the state may determine how best to address its unique and critical environmental challenges,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in the release. “EPA grants to our partners like NJDEP gives states the flexibility to protect their resources and grow their economy while solving real environmental problems in local communities.”
The performance partnership grant will total $15,887,817 and relates primarily to drinking water and strives to reduce radon and pesticide exposure and mitigate hazardous waste and air or water pollution, the release said.
Water quality planning funds of $547,000 will bolster efforts to keep New Jersey’s water at standards considered safe for fishing and swimming, according to the release.
Financial support for New Jersey’s beach monitoring and notification program in the amount of $263,000, supplied via the Clean Water Act, will ensure resources to maintain water quality monitoring at the state’s 200-plus ocean and estuary beaches, the release said.
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