8 



The Natural Resources Defense Council, in a recently released 

 report, found that even when States do monitor water and discover 

 unsafe bacteria levels, they don't always alert the public to it. They 

 often don't close the beach. 



A high bacteria level can cause a beach closure in one State, 

 while a State right alongside of it may be — may allow people to 

 swim in the water despite equal health risks. 



EPA's measure to monitor marine water quality underestimates 

 the true health risks that are faced by bathers. States using exist- 

 ing EPA guidelines decide whether their beach waters are safe for 

 swimming based on some averages that are accumulated monthly. 

 Waters may appear safe in the long-term, but short-term violations 

 of the public health standards often go unrecognized. These guide- 

 lines are not useful to decisionmakers who need to determine 

 whether they should allow people to swim at the beach tomorrow 

 or during the coming weekend. 



The beach bill will help ensure the safety and beauty of coastal 

 beaches across the country by establishing uniform testing and 

 monitoring procedures for bacteria and floatables in marine recrea- 

 tion waters. It will also require that beach-goers are notified 

 through advisories of beach closures when the standards are ex- 

 ceeded, whether they are in my State of New Jersey, which is the 

 only State right now that mandates such closings by law, or in any 

 other State. 



Now, I have heard concerns about the cost of the beach monitor- 

 ing, but the NRDC found that after surveying 22 coastal States, the 

 costs of monitoring beach water quality are minuscule when as- 

 sessed in light of the billions of dollars that tourists spend annually 

 visiting coastal beaches. New Jersey, for example, spends only 

 $200,000 a year in its monitoring and public information program, 

 while reaping $9.5 billion in income generated from coastal tour- 

 ism. 



Now, it is my intention to work for inclusion of the beach bill in 

 the Senate's version of the Clean Water Act. That is being re- 

 viewed now. Hearings are being held. 



In closing, Mr. Chairman, I would say once again that States 

 ought not to be afraid of competition. What they ought to be afraid 

 of is permitting their citizens to bathe in unsafe waters. 



They have lifeguards there to make sure that people don't get 

 caught in the undertow or get out too far in the ocean. Why can't 

 they be just as concerned about the quality of water that children 

 and adults bathe in? 



I commend you once again, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hear- 

 ing, and I urge this joint Committee hearing to be able to generate 

 the support for this legislation. Join us in recognizing the impor- 

 tance of protecting public health at our Nation's beaches. 



I thank you very much. 



Mr. Ortiz. Thank you. Senator, for appearing before our Com- 

 mittee. 



[The statement of Senator Lautenberg can be found at the end of 

 the hearing.] 



Mr. Ortiz. Now, of course, I would like to introduce my good 

 friend and a member of the full Committee and the author of H.R. 

 31, Mr. Hughes. 



