United States. EPA-503/9-89-004
Environmental Protection February 1989
Agency
Water
The Near Coastal
Waters Program
Restoring and
Protecting the
Nation's Coastal
Areas
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EPA's Near Coastal Waters
Program is part of a long-range
initiative by the Agency to restore
and protect the water quality and
natural resources of the nation's
coastal areas. The Office of Marine
and Estuarine Protection, in EPA's
Office of Water, is working with
other federal agencies, coastal
states, and EPA regional personnel
to design and implement a wide
range of activities to achieve this
goal. The major activities at
present are the Pilot Project
Program, the Near Coastal Waters
Assessment, Technology Transfer
activities, and Coordination
Strategies.
WHAT ARE NEAR COASTAL WATERS?
Near coastal waters encompass inland waters influenced by
tides and ocean areas impacted by land-based pollution.
They include estuaries, bays, lagoons, salt ponds, coves, salt
marshes, mangrove swamps, tidal creeks, sounds, gulfs, the
coastal ocean, and the 1,600 mile long freshwater sea known
as the Great Lakes.
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
Near coastal waters are highly productive, unique habitats.
forming dynamic interfaces between the land and the high
seas. They are spawning and feeding grounds for many
commercial and sport fish and they support the great bulk of
the nation's clam, oyster, lobster, and mussel harvests. They
are home to a wide variety of migratory birds and waterfowl,
a number of endangered species, and other kinds of wildlife.
At the same time, these areas are used extensively for tourism,
shipping, recreation, and aquaculture. Additionally, the Great
Lakes hold 90 percent of the nation's fresh water.
WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS?
Despite their ecological and commercial importance, most of
the nation's near coastal waters face major problems. Their
location at the "end of the line" means that near coastal waters
receive sewage and industrial effluent, urban and agricultural
runoff, and contaminated groundwater from point and non-
point sources upstream as well as on the coast. The toxics,
sediments, pathogens, and nutrients from these sources tend to
accumulate in near coastal waters, degrading water quality and
impairing ecological functions. Waterfront construction and
dredging for shipping channels also affect the coastal environ-
ment. The cumulative impacts of all these activities now
threaten the ecological, economic, and aesthetic integrity of
coastal water systems throughout the United States.
WHAT is THE NEAR COASTAL WATERS PROGRAM?
The NCW Program was initiated as part of EPA's first
strategic planning process in 1986. The Office of Marine and
Estuarine Protection (OMEP) developed a 10-15 year strategic
plan for EPA to improve its management of near coastal water
environmental quality and identify ways to improve coordina-
tion with other federal, state, and local offices with responsi-
bilities for coastal programs. The Program is now focused on
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implementing and refining techniques for protecting and
enhancing the environmental quality of near coastal waters,
specifically to:
• identify threatened and impaired coastal waters
• encourage and assist managers to more efficiently use
their existing regulatory authority and resources to solve
environmental problems
• help federal, state, and local officials explore new man-
agement tactics and to achieve measurable improvements
in near coastal water quality
WHO Is INVOLVED?
Planning and implementing the Near Coastal Waters Program
involves a wide range of coastal experts and interested federal,
state, and local managers, EPA regional and headquarters
staff, scientists, environmental groups, and citizens.
WHAT is THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NEAR
COASTAL WATERS PROGRAM AND THE NATIONAL
ESTUARY PROGRAM?
The Near Coastal Waters Program is EPA's most recent and
encompassing step in its continually evolving coastal water- •
body management program. It has a broader scope than the
National Estuary Program (NEP), in terms of both the physical
definition of the waters to be protected and the levels of
management effort.
The NEP, started by special Congressional appropriation in
1985 and reinforced by a new statutory authority under the
Water Quality Act of 1987, supports five-year planning and
management efforts for a limited number of estuaries. Estuar-
ies, however, are only one type of near coastal waterbody, and
while many NCWs require special management attention, it
may not always be at the level supported by the NEP. Thus,
EPA initiated the NCW Program to develop a broader
framework within which to promote coastal water protection
efforts. The Program is building on the lessons learned
through the NEP and other EPA coastal management pro-
grams, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Great
Lakes Program; developing new techniques; and providing
greater flexibility to tailor protection efforts to the needs of
other coastal waters.
PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM
NCW pilot projects are joint EPA-State efforts that address
environmental problems in selected near coastal waters. Their
purpose is to demonstrate innovative management actions that
can be applied in other areas of the country. Pilot projects
were selected on the basis of innovativeness, action-orienta-
tion, applicability to other near coastal waters, likelihood of
success, firm state and local commitment, strong public
interest, and estimated completion within one to two years.
The following three projects were chosen in 1988:
DECISIONMAKING INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR
DELAWARE'S INLAND BAYS
This project will develop a computerized Advance Informa-
tion System (AIS) to help officials quickly and accurately
assess the impacts of proposed actions on natural resources.
The AIS will integrate and graphically display technical,
ecological, and regulatory information from a variety of
sources, providing a comprehensive, readily accessible
database. EPA expects that this system will serve as a model
for managing conflicting coastal resource uses. .
OREGON COASTAL RESOURCE ACTION PLAN
This project will develop a comprehensive action plan for
Oregon's coastal watersheds, focusing on developing inter-
agency management coordination to protect near coastal
waters from point and nonpoint sources of pollution. This
approach will be tested in the course of implementing different
pollution control techniques in Coquille Estuary. EPA expects
Oregon's comprehensive approach, which involves the public
as well as many state and local agencies, will serve as a model
watershed management program for other areas.
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PERDIDO BAY COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT
PROJECT
This project will develop a framework for management action
strategies for the protection and enhancement of Florida and
Alabama's Perdido Bay. This will be accomplished through a
cooperative effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
an intergovernmental and community advisory task force. A
coalition of local groups will organize a citizens monitoring
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program to promote public awareness and actions needed to
protect the bay. EPA expects the project to be a model for
involving local interest groups, industry, and government
agencies in cooperative, pro-active environmental manage-
ment.
NEAR COASTAL WATERS ASSESSMENT
PROJECT
The goal of the NCW Assessment is to identify near coastal
waters needing management attention. To do this, EPA is
working with other federal and state agencies to bring together
all available information on near coastal waters.
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT ACTIVITIES?
• Federal - State Coordination
The Water Quality Act of 1987 requires states to identify
waters impaired or threatened by nonpoint source and toxic
pollutants. Because states historically have focused mostly
on fresh inland waters, the NCW Program is working with the
states to ensure that they include near coastal waters in their
assessments. This coordination includes ongoing information .
exchanges as well as technical assistance and guidance on near
coastal waters.
• Regional Assessment Reports
Although information is available on some near coastal areas,
most of it is not organized to support management decisions.
EPA's coastal regions are preparing reports that highlight
problems in specific coastal areas. These reports will provide
a foundation for future assessment activities by identifying
data, management, and planning requirements. They will also
be used to develop a national summary report on coastal
problems.
• Susceptibility Classification
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and the University of Delaware completed a prelimi-
nary assessment of the relative susceptibility of selected U.S.
estuaries to nutrient and toxic pollutants. The study shows
that estuaries can be grouped according to their susceptibility
to these pollutants. Additionally, when specific pollutant
loadings are available, it is possible to estimate the expected
pollution status of a waterbody. This kind of information will
help officials to focus their monitoring and management
strategies and to justify increased protection efforts.
• Northeast Case Study
NOAA and EPA are working to complete a case study of
near coastal waters in the Northeast United States. The
study illustrates the kinds of data available for assessing
coastal resources. Selected analyses of the toxics and nutrient
data will demonstrate how these kinds of data can support
water quality assessments required of each state under the
Water Quality Act of 1987.
• Defining NCW Segments
To organize information and data about water quality, many of
the rivers and estuaries of the United States have been broken
down for study into smaller sections or segments. Such
segmentation allows studies to focus on specific areas of
threatened or degraded bodies of water, and provides consis-
tent, detailed information over time that can be very useful in
making management decisions. Aside from estuaries, how-
ever, few near coastal waters have been segmented this way.
To address this problem, each EPA coastal region is proposing
a system for segmenting their NCWs. These segmentation
systems will serve as the basis for future water quality report-
ing, which in turn will be used to support NCW management
plans.
• Federal Data Base Inventory
Currently, there is no single guide to federal data available to
support near coastal water assessments. The NCW Program is
conducting an inventory of federal data bases to identify
sources of data on five major coastal problems, (eutrophica-
tion, toxics contamination, pathogens, changes in living
resources, and habitat modification). Results of the inven-
tory, including the sources of the data and appropriate contacts
for more information, will be made available to coastal
resource managers.
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TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
WHAT is TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER?
Technology transfer is the exchange of information on the
latest management techniques, technical developments,
reports, or data. This process is especially important to the
NCW Program because of the breadth of its activities and the
diversity of participants.
How is IT ACCOMPLISHED?
Together with other programs in OMEP, the NCW Program
has established a network of federal, regional, and state water
quality experts, scientists, public interest representatives, and
industry representatives to provide a forum for information
exchange. These network participants provide a wide range of
expertise and perspectives and often suggest diverse and
innovative approaches for implementing the NCW Program.
OMEP also organized a four day technology transfer confer-
ence in June, 1988 to promote discussion and sharing of
techniques among EPA coastal regions concerning in-place
toxics, water quality, and living resources. Participants
included staff from regional and state coastal and estuary
programs as well as other experts in coastal management
issues.
WHAT ARE SOME TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
PRODUCTS?
• "The National Estuary Program Primer": This primer is
intended to help the public understand and become
involved in the planning and implementation of the
National Estuary Program.
• "Saving Bays and Estuaries: A Handbook of Tactics":.
This handbook presents examples from around the
country of successful management strategies used to
improve or protect estuarine environmental quality.
• Alternative Financing Methods: OMEP and the Office
of Policy, Planning and Evaluation developed and wrote
"Financing Marine and Estuarine Programs: A Guide to
Resources". This primer provides state near coastal
waters managers with information concerning possible
financing mechanisms to implement coastal programs.
COORDINATION STRATEGIES
WHY COORDINATE WITH OTHER EPA OFFICES?
The authority to control pollutants and conduct research in
near coastal waters falls within the jurisdiction of other EPA
offices. In many cases, the special needs of sensitive near
coastal areas may not be recognized within these offices'
existing framework. The NCW Program is working with the
other offices to incorporate more protective measures in
guidance and policy documents.
WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE OCCURRING?
• OMEP is identifying marine dischargers regulated by
other offices and determining their potential impacts on
coastal and marine environments.
• The Office of Water Regulations & Standards and OMEP
have completed a draft report, "Overview of Methods for
Assessing and Managing Sediment Quality", that
describes biological measures of impacts from chemical
mixtures in marine sediments.
• The Office of Water Regulations & Standards will be
including a new section concerning estuaries and coastal
waters in its 1988 national report that summarizes state
water quality reports, (i.e., the 305(b) report). In addition,
OWRS' guidance for preparing the 1990 water quality
report emphasizes the need to report on quality in
estuaries and other coastal waters.
• Under the guidance of the EPA Risk Assessment Council,
OMEP, the Office of Water Regulations & Standards, and
the Federal Food and Drug Administration developed a
guidance manual for assessing human health risks from
chemically contaminated fish and shellfish. The manual
describes assessment and documentation procedures and
summarizes assumptions and uncertainties.
• OMEP worked with the Office of Solid Waste & Emer-
gency Response to revise the Superfund Hazard Ranking
System to include potential impacts on marine and
estuarine ecosystems.
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OMEP is participating in a Nonpoint Source (NFS) Task
Force, sponsored by the Agency's Office of Water. This
task force is setting the national agenda to address
nonpoint source pollution and is helping states develop
and implement nonpoint source programs required by the
Water Quality Act.
The Office of Research and Development has included
near coastal waters in their five-year applied research •
plans. Currently, a major project is to develop a suite of
efficient, cost-effective methods to monitor the marine
environment for management purposes.
WHAT NEXT ?
EPA is planning a series of workshops around the county to
explore the development of Near Coastal Water Regional
strategies. The agency also expects to fund a new round of
pilot projects for next year. The Office of Water has begun a
new NCW workgroup to assess opportunities for incorporating
protection of coastal water ecosystems into its current regula-
tory programs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine A. Minsch.
Office of Marine & Estuarine Protection
U.S. EPA (WH-556-F)
401 M. Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202) 475- 9552
or
Mary Lou Soscia
Office of Marine & Estuarine Protection
U.S. EPA (WH-556-F)
401 M. Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202)475-7109
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