The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $240,500 to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Tuesday, Aug. 14 on top of the Onset Bluffs.

The money will help to support the Department of Public Health with monitoring beach water quality as well as public notification efforts throughout the commonwealth.

According to the EPA, the money will be split between 34 coastal communities in Massachusetts. It is unclear at this time how much funding Wareham will receive.

"Protecting Massachusetts' beaches is critical to safeguarding public health and sustaining local economies," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn.

The Massachusetts Department of Health has received EPA federal grant funding for it's beaches since 2001.

This $240,500 grant is a portion of the $1,086,000 that the EPA expects to award to states throughout New England for beach monitoring and reporting this year. The funding is authorized under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act.

The EPA plans to award up to $9.3 million in BEACH grants this year to 39 states.

For more information on grants under the BEACH Act, visit www.epa.gov/beach-tech/beach-grants.

Massachusetts beach monitoring data can be found at www.mass.gov/beaches.