CHICAGO, IL, July 3, 2013 -- Water quality at Northeast Ohio beaches is being improved across the board with a variety of funding projects by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
"The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is improving water quality so that people can enjoy more days at Northeast Ohio beaches," said Susan Hedman, EPA's Regional Administrator/Great Lakes National Program Manager. "Great Lakes Restoration Initiative-funded projects make beaches safer by eliminating sources of harmful contamination and by monitoring water quality to protect beachgoers."
The major sources of contamination that affect Great Lakes beaches are sewer system overflows, stormwater runoff and waste from boats, septic systems, and wildlife.Great Lakes beaches were open 94 percent of the time last summer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2012 BEACH report. EPA's Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Report is available here.
Since 2010, 41 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative-funded projects, totaling more than $27 million, have been implemented to improve water quality at Northeast Ohio beaches.
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