43 



2 



We support the concept of protective bathing beach water quality criteria 

 and consider it important to provide consistent protection of the quality of U.S. 

 coastal and Great Lakes recreational waters. The increased population of our 

 coastal areas due to the constant migration of industry, business, and households 

 places continually increasing pressure on the environmental quality of these 

 waters. Before commenting on the specific provisions of the bill, I would like to 

 discuss our current understanding of the problem and the Agency's plan to address 

 its various aspects. 



Current Activities to Address Microbioloaical Pathogens 



Some of the major sources of microbiological pollution that contaminate 

 coastal waters and consequently lead to beach closures or advisories include 

 overloaded sewage treatment plants, discharges of untreated sewage from 

 combined sewer overflows (CSOs), polluted stormwater runoff from urban and 

 various nonpoint pollutant sources. The Agency has a number of efforts underway 

 that will help to reduce contamination from these sources and bring about 

 permanent improvements in coastal water quality. 



The Agency has proposed a draft national policy for managing CSOs, that 

 recognizes their site-specific nature and the needs of State and local governments 

 to deal with them. We have developed stormwater regulations and have permit 

 application requirements for the largest municipal and industrial sources. We have 



