Beach Water Quality Monitoring and Public Health Data

Environmental Protection Agency's BEACH Program data focuses on improving public health for beachgoers through five key areas, including pollution prediction and faster water testing. The program, sponsored by the EPA and managed by SCIOPS, provides information on coastal water quality. Specific contact information is available for data related to Massachusetts beaches.

Use Cases

• Predict pollution levels using modeled or measured water quality features from the program's focus areas.
• Correlate beach closure advisories with testing results and environmental factors like rainfall.
• Analyze geographic trends in water quality by linking program data to specific beach locations, such as those in Massachusetts.

Strengths

• Data is backed by a national program sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Program framework covers five specific areas including standards, testing, and public information.

Limitations

• Sample size, temporal coverage, and specific column names for water quality metrics are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is explicitly noted as having specific information only for Massachusetts, indicating potential bias or incompleteness for other regions.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Protection Agency's BEACH Program, accessed via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Program involves water testing, pollution modeling, and public health research.

Geography

Coastal United States, with noted specific information for Massachusetts beaches.