EPA Provides Grants to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for Water Quality Monitoring
Zimmetry Environmental offers water testing, consulting, and training services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to the public and workers from a wide range of microbial and chemical contaminants.
Some of the common sources of water pollution include combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), stormwater, trash and litter, fertilizers and pesticides, animal feeding operations (AFOs), and boat discharges.
In late May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Puerto Rico is eligible to receive over $320,000 and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is eligible to receive more than $125,000 to be used for monitoring water quality at beaches so the public can be notified if elevated levels of illness-causing bacteria make swimming unsafe.
The funding is authorized by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, which advances the goals of cooperative federalism and ensuring that every American has access to clean and safe water. An EPA regional administrator shared that beaches are the crown jewel of Puerto Rico and USVI and the grants to test and monitor will ensure that the public has the information it needs to enjoy a safe time on the beach.
“Puerto Rico is blessed with more than 270 miles of coastline that is home to almost 300 beaches,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “Unfortunately, swimming at a beach with pollution in the water or in the sand can, in some circumstances, make you sick. Some of the common sources of water pollution include combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), stormwater, trash and litter, fertilizers and pesticides, animal feeding operations (AFOs), and boat discharges. Some of these can also lead to harmful algal blooms (HABs). With all these challenges, the EPA grants are great news for locals and tourists.”
Dedicated to protecting against exposure to microbial and chemical hazards at beaches, pools, and other water sources are the aquatic specialists at Zimmetry Environmental. They offer comprehensive testing resources for both natural and manmade water sources. If test results indicate a problem, corrective actions can then be implemented to eliminate or mitigate any health and safety risks. Testing is also instrumental in pinpointing the source of a recreational water illness (RWI) outbreak if one has already occurred.
Zimmetry sponsored an educational video about beach-related illnesses several years back that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/iAmHJ31xqkg
To learn more about water quality testing or other environmental, industrial hygiene, compliance, and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005, or email info@zimmetry.com.
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.
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Puerto Rico- Contact Information
- Paul Cochrane
- President
- Cochrane & Associates, LLC
- Contact via E-mail
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