National Coastal Condition Report
Fact Sheet
Summary
The National Coastal Condition Report describes the ecological and environmental conditions in U.S.
coastal waters. This first-of-its-kind Report, presents a broad baseline picture of the overall condition of
U.S. coastal waters as fair to poor, varying from region to region. This Report will serve as a useful
benchmark for measuring progress in coastal programs in the future. In subsequent years, this Report will
be followed by reports on more specialized coastal issues and measure condition changes over time.
This Report represents a coordinated effort among EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It summarizes the
condition of ecological resources in the estuaries of the United States and highlights several exemplary
federal, state, tribal, and local programs that assess coastal ecological and water quality conditions.
Overall National
Coastal Condition
Overall
Great Lakes
Overall
Northeast
Good Fair Poor
Ecological Health
Water Clarity
Dissolved Oxygen**
Coastal Wetlands
Eutrophic Condition
Sediment
Benthos
Fish Tissue
Overall
Southeast
* No indicator data available.
** Does not include the hypoxic zone in offehore Gulf of Mexico waters
Background
NOTE: Overall conditions are shown for each coastal region
(e.g., purple represents the northeast coast).
Although EPA, federal and state partners, and other scientists have been assessing the condition of
estuaries for decades, the National Coastal Condition Report is the first comprehensive summary of
coastal conditions using information from 1990-2000. This document can be used by scientists,
environmental managers, and the public to make informed decisions concerning the protection of coastal
resources and to increase awareness of the extent and severity of pollution in coastal waters. It also can
serve as a benchmark for analyzing the progress of coastal management programs.
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The Report is based on data collected from a variety of federal, state, and local sources, most notably
EPA's National Coastal Assessment Program. These data sets include samples taken from over 1,000
randomly selected sites, representing nearly 88% of the Nation's estuarine resources. Overall confidence
in the accuracy of these data in assessing the coastal condition is within 95-98%.
This Report is the first federal effort to provide a comprehensive picture of the health of the nation's
coastal waters. For the first time, researchers can compare the conditions of estuaries across the country.
Researchers carefully designed the sampling programs to use ecological measurements or indicators, such
as types offish, status of aquatic vegetation, and changes in coastal wetlands to assess the conditions of
the estuaries. Using ecological indicators, in addition to chemical measures, makes it easier to compare
the condition of estuaries in different parts of the country.
Condition of the Nation's Estuaries
Existing data show that the overall condition of the U.S. coastal waters as fair to poor, varying from region
to region and that 44% of estuarine areas in the U.S. are impaired for human use or aquatic life use. To
determine the overall condition of the Nation's estuaries, EPA measured seven coastal condition
indicators, including water clarity, dissolved oxygen, sediments, benthos, fish contamination, coastal
wetlands loss, and eutrophication. These indicators were rated in estuaries in each region of the country
(northeastern, southeastern, Gulf of Mexico, west coast, and Great Lakes regions). The condition of each
resource was rated as good, fair, or poor. The indicators were combined to describe the overall coastal
condition for each of the regions.
The northeastern estuaries, Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes are in fair to poor ecological condition,
while southeastern and west coast estuaries are in fair ecological condition. Water clarity is good in west
coast and northeastern estuaries, but fair in the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern estuaries, and the Great
Lakes. Dissolved oxygen conditions are generally good and sediment contaminant conditions are
generally poor throughout the estuaries and Great Lakes of the United States. Eutrophi cation in coastal
waters is increasing throughout much of the United States and results in poor eutrophic conditions in the
Gulf of Mexico, west coast and northeastern estuaries and in fair to good conditions in the remaining
estuaries of the continental United States.
Living resources are in fair condition in estuaries throughout the United States, although small changes in
water quality could cause this condition to worsen and result in a poor rating. Living resources in the
Great Lakes, northeastern estuaries, Gulf of Mexico and the west coast are currently in poor condition.
Contaminant concentrations in fish tissues are low throughout the estuarine waters of the United States
with exceptions in selected northeastern estuaries, Gulf of Mexico estuaries and the Great Lakes. Fish
consumption advisories exist throughout the Gulf of Mexico and northeastern coastal areas, although these
advisories largely pertain to offshore species (e.g., king mackerel).
State assessments of water quality presented in the EPA's National Water Quality Inventory Report largely
agree with the water quality and ecological assessment of the Nation's estuaries in the National Coastal
Condition Report. States determine water quality conditions by comparing available water quality data to
their state water quality standards. If a body of water does not fully support its designated use, such as
recreation and swimming, drinking water source, or aquatic life habitat, then it is considered impaired. In
1998, states reported that 44% of estuaries and 12% of coastal shoreline in the United States (excluding
Alaska) were impaired by some form of pollution or habitat degradation.
For More Information
The Report this fact sheet refers to is a joint effort between EPA's Office of Water and Office of Research
and Development. This fact sheet should be referenced as EPA842-F-02-001, December 2001. For more
information on EPA's coastal program contact Barry Burgan at EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and
Watersheds at 202-566-1242. For more information on EPA's coastal and other research efforts, contact
Kevin Summers at EPA's Office of Research and Development at 850-934-9244. For a copy of the
National Coastal Condition Report, visit EPA's Web site at
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nccr/index.html. Copies of the Report are available by calling
800-490-9198. EPA's Coastal Research and Monitoring Strategy which assesses national needs for
coastal research and monitoring and recommends an integrated framework for protecting vital coastal
resources is available at http://cleanwater.gov/coastalresearch/.
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