Swimmers, beware: You may want to stick with sand, not surf, this summer. The EPA is feeling the financial squeeze, and this week submitted a budget request that eliminates $10 million in grants that are used to test for polluted water and post warning signs. The EPA says the burden can just shift to the former beneficiaries: coastal and Great Lakes states, which have "the technical expertise and procedures to continue beach monitoring without federal support." But the Los Angeles Times says that certainly isn't the case in California, which has had a hard time footing the bill even with federal funding.
And an LA environmental group's water quality director says this year could actually feel "like a double whammy to beachgoers." That's because the EPA isn't just planning to cut funds—it's also working on creating weaker US beach water quality standards. What woes can befall swimmers who take a dip in tainted water, thereby exposing themselves to pathogens? Fun things like diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes, and ear, eye, and staph infections. (More EPA stories.)
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