Protecting Our Estuaries
   '•   . . .. •


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Preparing for the annual
Swim the Bay fundraiser
sponsored by Save the Bay, a
group that is concerned with
protecting Narragansett Bay in
Rhode Island.
Protecting  Our  Estuaries
E
  jstuaries—where rivers
  .mix with the sea. The
definition of these waters
may not be widely known,
but they are one of the most
popular natural features on
earth. This issue of the EPA
Journal focuses on estuaries.
beginning with an
excerpt from Beautiful
Swimmers, a book which
describes the chain of life in
the Chesapeake Bay.
  Setting a perspective for
the issue is an  article by
Lawrence J. Jensen, EPA's
Assistant Administrator for
Water. An interview with
Tudor T.  Davies answers
questions about EPA's role in
protecting estuaries. Davies is
Director of the Agency's
Office of Marine and
Estuarine Protection.
  Then a series of articles
discusses the benefits of
estuaries, the environmental
problems they face, recent
Congressional action to
protect them, and  EPA's
National Estuary Program.
Changing the pace, another
article takes a look back from
an imaginary point in the
future on the outcome it  we
don't act to protect our
estuaries.
  Next are status reports  on
environmental protection
efforts in four major U.S.
estuaries: Narragansett Bay in
Rhode Island, Puget Sound in
Washington State,
Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds in
North Carolina, and
Chesapeake Bay.
  Finally, an article reports
on the condition and status
of pollution control efforts in
estuarine systems
internationally, from the
Inland Sea of Japan to the
Baltic Sea.
  Two articles  follow on
related subjects: EPA's
wetlands protection program,
including wetlands in
estuaries, and an initiative to
control pollution in the  Gulf
of Mexico, another coastal
water body confronted with
environmental  problems.
  Update and
Appointments—two regular
features—conclude the
issue. tJ

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                                United States
                                Environmental Protection
                                Agency
                                Office of
                                Public Affairs (A-107)
                                Washington DC 20460
                                         Volume 13
                                         Number 6
                                         July August 1987
                           S-EPA  JOURNAL
                                Lee M. Thomas, Administrator
                                Jennifer Joy Wilson, Assistant Administrator for External Affairs
                                Linda Wilson Reed, Director. Office of Public Affairs
                                John Heritage, Editor
                                Karen Flagstad, Assistant Editor
                                Jack Lewis, Assistant Editor
                                Margherita Pryor. Assistant Editor
 HP A is charged by Congress to pro-
 tect the nation's land, air, and
 water svstems. Undt;r a mandate of
 national environmental laws, the
 agency strives to formulate and im-
 plement actions which lead to a
 compatible balance between hu-
 man activities and the ability of
 natural systems to support ami
 nurture life.
  The EPA Journal is published by
 the  U.S. Environmental Protection
 Agency. The Administrator of EPA
 has determined that the publica-
 tion of this periodical is necessary
 in the transaction of the public
 business required by law of this
 agency. Use of funds for printing
 this periodical has been approved
 by the  Director of the Office of
 Management and Budget.  Views
 expressed by  authors do not neces-
 sarily reflect EPA policy. Contribu-
 tions and inquiries should be ad-
 dressed to the Editor (A-107),
 Waterside Mall. 401 M St., S.W.,
 Washington, DC 204I>0. No permis-
 sion necessary to reproduce con-
 tents except copyrighted photos
 and other materials.
 The Treasure
 of an Estuary
 An Excerpt from Beautiful
 Swimmers   2

 Having the Vision
 to Save Our Estuaries
 by Lawrence ). Jensen   ,'i

 Answering Questions
 about a Key Resource:
 An Interview with
 Tudor T. Davies   5
Defining the Estuary
by Anthonv 1. Calio
9
The Threat
to Estuaries
bv Howard Levenson
What Congress Has Done
by Walter 13. Jones  14

EPA's National
Estuary Program
by Mary Lou Soscia
and Karen Flagstad   Hi

Looking Back
from the Future
by John D. Costlow   21

Estuary Reports:
• Narragansett Bay
by Trudy Coxe  23

• Puget Sound
by Katharine Fletcher
and Annette Frahm   24

• Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds
by David \V. O\vmis  26

• Chesapeake Bay
by William  M. Eichbaum  2H
                                         An International Perspective
                                         by Clifton Curtis  30

                                         Wetlands:  A Growing
                                         Concern
                                         by David G. Davis   32

                                         Taking the Initiative
                                         for the Gulf of Mexico
                                         by Hagan Thompson   ;

                                         Update  ;Ui

                                         Appointments  3li
                                Front Cover: Ending Ihc d
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                            The  Treasure  of an  Estuary
                                    An Excerpt from Beautiful Swimmers
William Warner's Beautiful Swimmers is much morf than