The EPA’s announcement of nearly $1 million in beach monitoring grants for Mid-Atlantic states, including $216,000 for Pennsylvania, is a step in the right direction — but hardly a solution.
Testing beach water for bacteria like E. coli is important, but these grants don’t fix what causes the problem in the first place. In Western Pennsylvania, communities still face stormwater overflows, outdated sewer infrastructure and increased runoff due to more extreme weather. These conditions all contribute to unsafe recreational waters, whether at Lake Erie or smaller lakes and rivers across our region.
Seasonal monitoring won’t keep our waters clean year-round. If we truly want to protect the public, the EPA and our elected officials need to fund the long-term upgrades that stop pollution at its source.
A cleaner environment — and safer swimming — requires more than a summer checkup. It takes investment, not just testing.
Gail Neustadt
Sewickley