BRISTOL, RI –U.S. Senator Jack Reed joined top officials from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the Bristol Department of Parks and Recreation to discuss the latest efforts to monitor water quality and clean and preserve Rhode Island’s beaches.

Rhode Island’s ocean and bay beaches ranked among the top 15 cleanest in the nation for beach water quality last year, according to a new report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  The national non-profit environmental organization found that the health of the Ocean State’s beaches – which number nearly 250 along the roughly 400 miles of Atlantic Ocean and Narragansett Bay waters – is improving and that the state is making strides to reduce the number of days where bacteria levels exceeded state water quality standards, from 15 percent in 2008 down to 5 percent in 2012.

Led by the Rhode Island Department of Health, and with the support of federal funding, the Ocean State has implemented comprehensive beach water monitoring and management practices to ensure Rhode Island’s beaches are safe and clean for the many visitors who enjoy them each year.

“Rhode Island is the Ocean State and clean water is vital to our economy and public health,” said Reed, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, which oversees federal funding of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  “We want to make sure residents and visitors know our beaches are beautiful and safe.”

Senator Reed has helped the state secure over $2 million in federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) grants for Rhode Island since 2001, including about $212,000 in 2012.  Last year, Reed led the successful effort to prevent the Obama Administration from eliminating BEACH grants and recently expressed to the EPA that the funding is vital to helping Rhode Island monitor water quality and notify beachgoers of any risks that may arise.

Rhode Island’s coastal beach-water quality monitoring program is managed by the Rhode Island Department of Health, works closely with DEM, cities, town, and volunteer groups.  During beach season, beach monitors routinely test water quality and provide up-to-date information for beachgoers at: www.health.ri.gov/beaches.

At today’s event, experts shared tips for beachgoers on how to stay healthy and help preserve Rhode Island’s beaches by avoiding swimming after heavy rainfall, disposing of trash and pet waste properly, and not discharging untreated boat sewage.