UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                                 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
                                        March 2002
Dear Reader:

       The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water and Office of
Research and Development are pleased to present this first-ever environmental report card on the
nation's coastal waters. This Report was prepared to help decision-makers manage coastal
resources and increase public awareness of the condition of coastal waters. While the data for
this Report is from many and varied programs with differing purposes, it provides baseline
estimates of coastal conditions for select coastal regions and enables trend analyses as well as the
identification of data gaps.  The findings in this Report will also serve to monitor the progress of
coastal programs as EPA continues to assess the condition of coastal waters and publish
additional reports.

       The Report primarily evaluates estuaries,  areas where rivers meet the ocean, in the
continental United States. Seven indicators were evaluated to assess the overall condition of the
nation's coasts. These indicators were consolidated from many environmental measures and
include: water clarity; dissolved oxygen; fish tissue contaminants; eutrophic condition; sediment
contamination; benthic condition; and coastal wetlands loss. Based on these indicators, the
Report describes the nation's coastal waters as ranging from fair to poor.  Its intent was not to
determine the causes of coastal water quality impairment. However, it does identify pathogens
and oxygen-depleting substances from point and nonpoint urban runoff as stressors.

       Although the National Coastal Condition Report is being released by EPA, it is the result
of a collaboration between EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the
Department of Interior, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with contributions by numerous
other federal, state, and tribal organizations. This Report demonstrates the value of forging close
scientific collaboration among federal, state and other organizations. We hope this Report will
help you understand more about U.S. coastal waters and encourage further efforts to protect these
national treasures.

       For more information on EPA's coastal program contact Barry Burgan at EPA's Office of
Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds at 202-566-1242. Contact Kevin Summers at EPA's Office
of Research and Development at 850-934-9244 for more information on EPA's coastal research
efforts. An electronic copy of the National Coastal Condition Report can be found at 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.
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