May 9, 2005

The Department of Environmental Quality, Water Bureau, is pleased to announce that a total of $278,158 of federal grant funds were awarded to 21 applicants to monitor 216 public Great Lakes beaches located in 36 counties. These grant funds were allocated to the DEQ by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as authorized by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act. The DEQ received applications from local health departments and nonprofit entities requesting a total of $406,185. Grant recipients received either full or partial funding for their beach monitoring proposal and will post their beach monitoring data on the DEQ Beach Monitoring Web site at (www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/).

Recipients are:

• The District Health Department #10 was awarded $24,999.85 in
   grant funds to monitor 3 beaches in state parks and 20 local
   beaches on Lake Michigan.

• The St. Clair County Health Department was awarded $23,745.60
   in grant funds to monitor 2 beaches in state parks and 12 local
   beaches on Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.

• The District Health Department #4 was awarded $20,000 in grant
   funds to monitor 2 beaches in state parks and 11 local beaches
   on Lake Huron.

• The Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency was awarded
   $19,541.84 in grant funds to monitor 3 beaches in state parks and
   23 local beaches on Lake Michigan.

• The District Health Department #2 was awarded $18,000 in grant
   funds to monitor 4 beaches in state parks and 16 local beaches on
   Lake Huron.

• The Berrien County Health Department was awarded $16,975.75 in
   grant funds to monitor 1 beach in a state park and 12 local beaches
   on Lake Michigan.

• The Ottawa County Health Department was awarded $16,442 in
   grant funds to monitor 2 beaches in state parks and 7 local beaches
   on Lake Michigan.

• The Muskegon County Health Department was awarded $14,295 in
   grant funds to monitor 4 beaches in state parks and 8 local beaches
   on Lake Michigan.

• The Huron County Health Department was awarded $14,290 in grant
   funds to monitor 3 beaches in state parks and 9 local beaches on
   Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay.

• The Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department was
   awarded $14,000 in grant funds to monitor 2 beaches in state parks
   and 9 local beaches on Lake Superior.

• The Chippewa County Health Department was awarded $11,000 in
   grant funds to monitor 1 beach in a state park and 8 local beaches
   on Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

• The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay was awarded $11,000 in
   grant funds to monitor 1 beach in a state park and 8 local beaches on
   Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay.

• The Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties was awarded
  $10,000 in grant funds to monitor 4 city beaches on Lake Michigan
  and to conduct a sanitary survey for at least 9 local beaches.

• The Central Michigan District Health Department was awarded $10,000
   in grant funds to monitor 8 local beaches on Saginaw Bay.

• The Sanilac County Health Department was awarded $9,000 in grant
   funds to monitor 7 local beaches on Lake Huron.

• The Bay County Health Department was awarded $7,500 in grant funds
   to monitor 1 beach in a state park and 5 local beaches on Saginaw
   Bay.

• The City of Marquette was awarded $7,275.96 in grant funds to monitor
   5 local beaches on Lake Superior.

• The Allegan County Health Department was awarded $10,882 in grant
   funds to monitor 6 local beaches (4 in Allegan County and 2 in Van
   Buren County) on Lake Michigan.

• The Macomb County Health Department was awarded $7,000 in grant
   funds to monitor 4 local beaches on Lake St. Clair.

• The Wayne County Health Department was awarded $6,210 in grant
   funds to monitor 3 local beaches on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit
   River.

• The Monroe County Health Department was awarded $6,000 in grant
   funds to monitor 1 beach in a state park and 1 local beach on Lake
   Erie.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised May 9, 2005 by Alice Stimpson