The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing more than $300,000 to the Hawaii Department of Health to support beach water quality monitoring and information sharing throughout the state.

“This funding allows the state of Hawaii to monitor beach water quality and make the results more easily available to the public,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker in a news release. “Thanks to this program, beachgoers can find up-to-date information to help them make informed decisions on when and where to swim.”

The grant is a portion of the $1.64 million — authorized under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act — that the EPA expects to award to states and territories throughout the Pacific Southwest region for beach monitoring and reporting.

The state Health Department collects water samples at major recreation locations on a routine basis and posts advisories following sewage spills or high bacterial counts as well as for brown water.