United States
Environmental Protection
^1	Agency
The National Coastal Condition Assessment 2010
The National Coastal Condition Assessment 2010 (NCCA 2010) is the fifth in a series of reports
assessing the condition of U.S. coastal waters. It is part of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys
(NARS), a series of statistically-based surveys designed to provide the public and decision makers with
nationally consistent and representative information on the condition of all the nation's waters.
In the summer of 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state and federal
partners sampled 1,104 sites in estuarine and Great Lakes nearshore waters, representing 35,400
square miles of U.S. coastal waters. They used the same methods at all sites to ensure that results
would be nationally comparable. This report examines four indices as indicators of U.S. coastal
condition: a benthic index, a water quality index, a sediment quality index, and an ecological fish
tissue contaminant index.
Key Findings
Biological Quality
A majority of coastal and Great Lakes
nearshore waters support healthy
communities of bottom-dwelling
(benthic) macroinvertebrates (such as
worms and clams) that are indicators of
biological quality. The report finds that
that 56% percent of the nation's coastal
and Great Lakes nearshore waters are
rated good for biological quality, 10% are
rated fair, and 18% are rated poor, based
on the benthic index. Data are incomplete
or missing for 15% of waters.
National Condition
Biological
Quality
Water
Quality
Sediment
Quality
Ecological Fish
Tissue Quality
BO
j of Area
Area (mi2)



hH
56.3%
19.932
HH 10.4
%

3.670
m h-
18.3%

6,490
HH1
5%

5,311




H~I 36.4%

12,875
I—I—I47.8C
h
16,927
¦-114.4%

5,086
p1 5%


517
Hh
55.3%
19,591

H 20.6%

7,302
^¦H13
3%

4,714
HH 10.
7%

3,795
i 0.6%


214
I—I—126.4%

9,327
49%

17,331
I—H 24.1%

8,521




I Missing
Water Quality
Water quality is rated good in 36% of coastal and Great Lakes nearshore waters, fair in 48%,
and poor in 14%, based on the water quality index. Components of the water quality index
include phosphorus, nitrogen, water clarity, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen
concentrations. The most widespread of these stressors is phosphorus (rated poor in 21% of
waters).

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Sediment Quality
Sediment quality is rated good in 55% of coastal and
Great Lakes nearshore waters, fair in 21%, and poor in
13%. This finding is based on an index of sediment quality
that has two component indicators: sediment
contaminants and sediment toxicity. Overall, 79% of
coastal waters are rated good based on low levels of
sediment contaminants and 57% of waters are rated good
based on the toxicity effects of contaminants.
Ecological Fish Tissue Quality
This report assesses the potential harm that fish tissue contaminants pose to predator
fish, birds, and wildlife. Based on this ecological index, less than 1% of coastal and Great
Lakes nearshore waters are rated good, 26% are rated fair, and 49% are rated poor. Data
are incomplete or missing for the remaining 24% of waters. These findings indicate that
contaminants in fish may have long-term adverse effects on fish-eating wildlife. With the
exception of a supplemental study in the Great Lakes, analysts did not evaluate human
health risks for the NCCA 2010.
Change in Coastal Condition
The NCCA 2010 examines change in coastal
condition over three periods: 1999-2000,
2005-2006, and 2010. Between 2005-2006
and 2010, water quality remained
unchanged, biological quality improved 17%
and sediment quality declined by 22%.
While these results might appear
contradictory, these indicators do not
necessarily respond to stressors in the same
manner, nor do the indicators included in
the NCCA reflect all stressors that affect
coastal waters.
Implications
Change in National Indices
Water
Quality Index
Sediment
Quality Index
Benthic
Index
XJ
O
o
(J
-o
CD
*->
(U
DC
(0
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