36 



SENATOR FRANK R. LADTENBERG 



H.R. 31 BEACH TESTING BILL 



JULY 15, 1993 



Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased to testify in support of H.R. 31, 

 the BEACH testing bill. The BEACH bill is critical to protecting 

 the health of millions of people who visit our coastal beaches 

 every year. 



My colleague Senator Bradley has joined me in introducing 

 the Senate companion bill and we have gained Senators Boxer and 

 Feinstein as cosponsors . 



I want to express my appreciation to Congressman Hughes for 

 his initiative and determination to protect the health of the 

 nation's bathers. 



Mr. Chairman, in enacting the Clean Water Act in 197 2, 

 Congress established a basic goal for the nation — to make our 

 waters swimmable and fishable. And while water quality has 

 improved since the Act's enactment, we cannot accurately assess 

 our progress toward making waters swimmable, because states do 

 not regularly test beach waters to determine whether they are 

 safe for swimming. 



Today, throughout our nation, families are splashing the 

 waves . They believe that they are engaging in a safe activity 

 giving them nothing but joy and recreation. 



But what if the water they are swimming in is, instead, 

 giving them a bath of microbes that can make them sick. How do 

 they know? 



Here is a case where ignorance is not bliss. All those 

 enjoying the ocean this summer should have the confidence that 

 they are swimming in clean waters . 



Yet, several coastal states rarely, if ever, monitor ocean 

 and bay beach water quality for swimmer safety. 



Furthermore, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 

 in a recently released report, found that even when states do 

 monitor water and discover unsafe bacteria levels, they do not 

 always alert the public or close the beach. A high bacteria 

 level can cause a beach closure in one state, while in another 

 state people may be allowed to swim in the water despite equal 

 health risks. 



