February 12, 2025 2:50 a.m.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden introduced bipartisan legislation that he said would preserve coastal beaches in Oregon and nationwide by providing funding for state, local, and tribal governments to test, monitor, and identity recreational waters that are contaminated.

Wyden said, “The Oregon Coast offers unmatched opportunities for visitors to make fond memories and for residents of one of America’s most iconic coastlines to live and work in and next to the Pacific Ocean”. Wyden said, “But the ongoing threat of pollution piling up on our coastal beaches every year demands commonsense solutions to help protect this treasure and keep Oregonians healthy. This bill accomplishes those goals by protecting, preserving, and improving our beaches in every corner of Oregon and America for generations to come”.

Wyden’s release said currently there’s dedicated federal funding for monitoring and notifying beachgoers of contaminated coastal waters – but there is no money allocated towards identifying contaminated sites. Wyden’s new bill, the BEACH Act, would reauthorize this $30 million program over the next four years to allocate funding for identifying contaminated beaches and trace the source of the contamination.

Wyden’s bill would also expand testing locations to include shallow recreational waters near the beaches, where children and seniors often play and swim, who are more at risk of experiencing health issues from contamination.

The legislation is endorsed by Environment America, Surfrider, the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association and the Coastal States Organization.