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Ocean & Coastal Management, Vol. 30, No. I, pp. 63 67, 1996 Copyright O 1996 Elsevier Scicnce Lid

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Recent developments and announcements

The United States National Estuary Program

Stephanie Poole

Center for the Study of Marine Policy, Graduate College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

1. THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES

The United States National Estuary Program (NEP) was established in 1987 under the auspices of the National Clean Water Act (CWA), and is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The impetus for the program was a recognized need for partnerships - between and within levels of governments, and between governments and the affected communities - in the management of estuarine areas. The primary goals of the NEP are 'the protection and improvement of water quality and the enhancement of living resources'. ~ The main management strategy employed by the program is one of ecosystem management, or management which: 1) takes into account all interac- tions between living and non-living resources; 2) considers human communities as part of the ecosystem; and 3) in decision-making, involves all parties that have an interest in the management of the area. For some estuaries in the program, this entails management on a regional level, often between two or more states. 2

In order to become part of the NEP, an estuary must be nominated by the governor(s) of the state(s) which will undertake management of the area. Governor-nominated estuaries that the EPA approves as members of the NEP are those that are 'nationally significant'. ~ Nationally significant signifies that the problems of a particular estuary are important enough to be of concern nationally. In addition, to be considered for membership in the NEP, states of the estuarine region must demonstrate that there are sufficient resources available to begin comprehensive management of the arca. ~ There are several additional criteria that member estuaries must meet to be accepted into thc NEP:

1. that the problems arc serious enough to gain federal assistance:

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64 Recent developments and announcements

2. that the proposed priority measures for the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) are the best way to address the problems of the area;

3. that the CCMP will involve all levels of government and all interested parties;

4. that the CCMP recommends the best management approaches available;

5. that the management measures work toward achieving better ecosystem health; and

6. that the management measures meet the needs of society and the surrounding communities. 2'3

Once part of the NEP, each estuary program convenes a Manage- ment Conference, whose task it is to draw up a CCMP for management of the estuary. The purpose of the management plan of each NEP is to give recommendations with regard to: 1) using and modifying existing institutional management measures for comprehensive management of the estuarine region; 2) recommending specific legislative changes; 3) outlining funding strategies; and 4) encouraging governmental and public commitments to coordination in the management of estuarine regions. ~ Drafting of the CCMP begins with identifying the priority management issues for the area. Then specific actions addressing the problems are added, including the means by which the action items will be implemented. Five years after the start of an estuary program, the final CCMP will be submitted for approval by the EPA administrator. After final approval, funds may be allocated by the EPA to assist in the implementation phase. 2"4

2. NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Two significant events have taken place recently in the US NEP. First, seven new programs were added to the NEP in July of this year, bringing to 28 the number of estuaries in this particular national coastal management effort. The second event in the NEP was the approval of the final CCMP for the Galveston Bay, Texas Estuary Program?

2.1. The new estuary programs

Seven estuaries nominated by governors in eight states were approved by the US EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner on 6 July 1995. The approved nominations constitute the start of the planning phase, in

Recent developments and announcements 65

which Management Conferences will begin drafting CCMPs. These seven new programs join the other estuary programs, nine of which are in the implementation phase, and 12 of which are in various stages of planning. The new programs are as follows:

Barnegat Bay, New Jersey; Charlotte Harbor, Florida; Columbia River, Washington and Oregon; Maryland Coastal Bays; Mobile Bay, Alabama; Morro Bay, California; and New Hampshire Estuaries (Great Bay and Hampton Harbor).

Given the diversity of coastal environments, problems, and issues throughout the US, the NEP is unique in that it allows each program to be tailored and adapted specifically for the needs of the individual estuary. Below are brief summaries of each of the new estuary programs' management strategies.

1. Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

• Integrating user needs with environmental protection. • Approaching ecosystem health and sustainable development by:

stemming non-point source pollution; mitigating loss and degradation of habitat.

2. Charlotte Harbor, Florida

• Three management priorities:

managing the problem of altered inflows and outflows to the estuary; controlling the sources and effects of eutrophication; preventing habitat loss.

3. Columbia River, Washington and Oregon

• Four primary issues to be addressed:

controlling the level of toxics in fish and sediments; preventing further habitat loss and modification; improving water quality; halting the loss of anadromous fish runs.

4. Maryland Coastal Bays

• Six areas on which to focus:

controlling eutrophication; preventing habitat modifications and losses; halting declines in finfish populations;

66 Recent developments and announcements

managing toxic levels in estuarine habitats; preventing shellfish bed closures due to high bacterial levels; mitigating adverse environmental impacts due to human activities.

5. Mobile Bay, Alabama

• Management efforts will focus on:

improving water quality; preventing habitat loss; preventing the decline of living resources; addressing population growth issues and impacts on the estuarine area.

6. Morro Bay, California

• Priority issues:

water quality and quantity; habitat loss; species invasion; land development; riparian/wetland degradation.

7. New Hampshire Estuaries (Great Bay and Hampton Harbor)

• Priority management issue is shellfish resources, specifically:

pathogen contamination causing closure of fisheries; non-point source pollution; absence of shellfish aquaculture; institutional barriers to solving these problems.

3. GALVESTON BAY AND THE FINAL CCMP

Regarding the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, approval of the final CCMP signifies that the program will now begin implementing the action plans and recommendations stated in the CCMP. This means that the state of Texas may receive funds from the US Government for assistance in implementation. The Galveston Bay Estuary Program is typical of the other NEP programs in that its management has a dual role to play--that of protecting the environment while meeting the needs of all users of the estuary. Since the management strategy of the NEP is ecosystem-based, it considers that all elements of the system are related, recognizing that changes in any of these elements will affect the others. Specifically, in the case of the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, management of the estuary will involve all levels of government, with

Recent developments and announcements 67

an emphasis on the contributions of the surrounding local govern- ments. In keeping with this cooperative approach, the program requires that industry and public participation should play a role in decision- making. 3

REFERENCES 1. Imperial, M. T., Robadue, Jr. & D., Hennessey, T. M., An evolutionary

perspective on the development and assessment of the National Estuary Program. Coastal Management, 20 (1992).

2. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, The National Estuary Program After Four Years: A Report to Congress. April 1992.

3. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Inc., Coastlines, 5(3) (1995). 4. Tudor, R., Delaware Estuary Program Coordinator. Personal Communica-

tion, October 1995.